After the police gunned down four criminals in an encounter last night, the name of notorious Haryana gangster Deepak Nandal is again in the spotlight. Nandal, who was the face of Haryanvi music industry, is now a notorious criminal operating his network from abroad.

Nandal is linked to crimes such as extortion, murder and kidnapping. He recruits young people via social media and manages the entire network from abroad. He is also reported to have been active in the UAE, the UK, and Canada.

Before rapidly rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld in Haryana, Nandal was a music producer, rapper, and performer, and worked on several popular songs with Haryanvi singer Rahul Fazilpuria and rapper Badshah. He was associated with the creation of tracks such as “Haryana Roadways” and “Kar Gayi Chull”.

Initially, he gained notoriety for the smuggling of weapons and involvement in local disputes. Soon, he began climbing the list of wanted criminals maintained by the Rohtak and Sonepat police, and was active in cases of extortion and contract killing.

Since he was on the radar of the Special Task Force (STF), he fled the country in 2023, said IG B Satheesh Balan.

The police are engaged in the legal process to issue a Red Corner Notice against him.

According to the police, Nandal remains active on social media platforms, where he has cultivated the image of a “don”. After orchestrating a shooting, he would immediately claim responsibility. In recent years, his gang has targeted prominent figures across Delhi-NCR, including builders, businessmen and singers.

Following an attack on Fazilpuria in 2025, a post went viral claiming responsibility for the shooting. The post alleged that Fazilpuria had taken Rs 5 crore from Nandal and failed to return it. In August 2025, Rohit Shaukeen — an associate of Fazilpuria — was shot in broad daylight in Gurugram, and Nandal claimed responsibility.

In May this year, shooters opened fire at the house of Saurabh Yadav, an event organiser for Fazilpuria, at Kanhai village.