CHANDIGARH: After Haryana Police shot dead four alleged members of the Deepak Nandal gang in an encounter in Gurugram on Thursday night, the gangster's name has once again come into focus.
Once associated with the Haryanvi music industry, Nandal is now a wanted gangster operating from abroad, with his network active across Haryana, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Among those killed was a Class XI student and promising javelin thrower.
Nandal was once a music producer, rapper and performer who worked on several popular songs with Haryanvi singer Rahul Fazilpuria and rapper Badshah. He was associated with tracks such as Haryana Roadways and Kar Gayi Chull.
Police said he later entered the criminal underworld and is now linked to cases of extortion, murder, kidnapping and ransom. He is believed to have operated from the UAE, the UK and Canada, while allegedly recruiting youths through social media and managing his network from abroad.
Sources said Nandal initially became involved in illegal arms smuggling and local disputes before forming his own gang. He later expanded into extortion and contract killings, becoming one of the most wanted criminals in Rohtak and Sonepat. Under pressure from the Haryana Police's Special Task Force (STF), he fled abroad in 2023 but allegedly continued operating his gang.
Police are now pursuing the legal process to secure a Red Corner Notice against him.
According to police, Nandal remains active on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, where he allegedly connects with and recruits young men. He is also accused of issuing extortion threats through WhatsApp and Signal and of claiming responsibility for shootings on social media soon after they occur.
Over the past few years, his gang has allegedly targeted builders, businessmen, fashion designers and singers in the NCR. Last year, after the attack on Rahul Fazilpuria, Nandal claimed responsibility through a social media post issued in the names of Sunil Sardhania, Deepak Nandal and Indrajit Yadav. The post alleged that Fazilpuria had borrowed Rs 5 crore from Nandal and failed to return the money.
In August last year, Rohit Shaukeen, an associate of Fazilpuria, was shot dead in broad daylight in Gurugram, with Nandal again claiming responsibility. In May this year, alleged members of his gang opened fire at the house of Fazilpuria's event organiser, Saurabh Yadav, in Kanhai village.
Sources identified the minor killed in Thursday's encounter as Aryan, a resident of Baland (Baloth) village in Rohtak. Investigators said he was an aspiring javelin thrower who also worked as a bike mechanic before allegedly joining the gang.
Two other deceased, Nitin and Ankit, were also from the same village in Rohtak, suggesting what investigators described as a localised recruitment network. The fourth deceased was a resident of Fatehabad district, while the lone survivor, Shivam of Bissar village in the Mewat region, is hospitalised under heavy police guard.
Sources said the five-member group arrived in a rented black Scorpio and allegedly fired nearly two dozen rounds at the residence of a businessman over an extortion demand. The businessman, his wife and a relative were inside the house during the attack.
A Gurugram Police Crime Branch team, acting on a control room alert, reached the spot while the firing was underway and surrounded the area. Police said the suspects opened fire when asked to surrender, triggering a close-range gunfight in which around 65 rounds were exchanged.
Three Crime Branch personnel sustained bullet injuries during the operation and are reported to be stable. Police recovered five automatic pistols from the scene, including three sophisticated foreign-made weapons.
