Shooters linked to gangster Deepak Nandal’s gang methodically executed a plan to hold a Gurugram realtor hostage and open fire at his home, but the police gunned down four of the five assailants at the scene.

A senior police officer said the gang had rented the black Scorpio from Rohtak two days before the attack, indicating that the operation had been carefully planned. All five accused were Haryana residents and were armed with sophisticated weapons.

The encounter took place late on Thursday night after Crime Branch teams, acting on intelligence inputs about possible attacks on extortion targets, laid a strategic cordon around the suspected location. Police said the five shooters were linked to gangster Deepak Nandal, who is operating from abroad.

According to police, at around 9.50 pm a black Scorpio with its registration number concealed using black tape reached the residence of realtor Vishal Beri in Sushant Lok. Three armed men allegedly stepped out, held the businessman hostage and opened indiscriminate fire at his house and neighbouring properties, while one of the assailants recorded the attack on a mobile phone. Beri, son of the founder of Gurugram-based SGT University, had reportedly been receiving extortion calls demanding several crore rupees.

Police personnel already deployed in the area surrounded the vehicle and repeatedly asked the accused to surrender. The shooters allegedly retaliated by firing at the police, triggering an exchange in which more than 60 rounds were fired. Four accused died during treatment, while the fifth sustained serious injuries. Three Crime Branch personnel — ASI Sunil Kumar, Constable Manjit Singh and Constable Shamsher Singh — also suffered bullet injuries and were admitted to Medanta Hospital.