After the Gurugram police gunned down four criminals linked to Deepak Nandal’s gang in an encounter on Thursday night, his name is in the spotlight once again.
Nandal, who was a face of the Haryanvi music industry, is now a notorious criminal who operates in India — mostly in Haryana and the Delhi-NCR region — from abroad.
He is linked to crimes such as extortion, murder, kidnapping and ransom demands, as per the police.
He allegedly recruits youths into his gang via social media and manages his entire network from abroad. He has allegedly been active in countries such as the UAE, the UK (London) and Canada. The police in the Delhi-NCR region have been on a lookout for him for a long time.
Nandal was once a music producer, rapper and performer. He worked on several popular songs alongside Haryanvi singer Rahul Fazilpuria and rapper Badshah. He was associated with the creation of tracks such as "Haryana Roadways" and "Kar Gayi Chull”.
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However, Nandal also rapidly rose through the ranks of the criminal underworld in Haryana. Initially, he allegedly gained notoriety for smuggling illegal weapons and his involvement in local disputes. However, he soon began climbing the list of wanted criminals maintained by the police of Rohtak and Sonepat. Forming an association with other criminals, he allegedly became active in crimes such as extortion and contract killing, due to which he came on the radar of the Haryana Police's Special Task Force (STF).
As the police kept up pressure on him, Nandal hatched a plan to leave the country. B. Satheesh Balan, IG, Haryana STF, said Nandal had managed to flee abroad in 2023, from where he continued to operate his gang.
The police are engaged in a legal process to issue a Red Corner Notice against him and to have him deported from his foreign hideout.
According to the police, Nandal operates his gang via social media. He remains active on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, where he has allegedly cultivated an image as a 'don'. He allegedly connects with youths and recruits them in his gang. The police say he issues extortion threats via WhatsApp and Signal. After orchestrating a shooting, he immediately claims responsibility for it on social media.
In recent years, Nandal's gang has targeted prominent figures across the Delhi-NCR region, including builders, businessmen, fashion designers and singers.
Following the attack on Rahul Fazilpuria in 2025, a post claiming responsibility for the shooting in the names of Sunil Sardhania, Deepak Nandal and Indrajit Yadav went viral on social media.
The post alleged that Rahul Fazilpuria had taken Rs 5 crore from Nandal and had failed to return it.
In August 2025, Rohit Shaukeen, an associate of singer Rahul Fazilpuria, was shot dead in broad daylight in Gurugram. Nandal had claimed responsibility for this murder as well.
In May this year, shooters of gangster Deepak Nandal also opened fire at the home of Saurabh Yadav, Fazilpuria’s event organiser, in Kanhai village.