Gurugram Police arrested wanted criminal Sunil Sardhania at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday, months after he claimed responsibility for an attack on Haryanavi rapper Rahul Fazilpuria. Sardhania, who had fled to Costa Rica using a fake passport, was nabbed with assistance from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Interpol as he returned to India. The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the July shooting incident near Gurgaon.
The attack on Rahul Fazilpuria occurred on July 14 near the Badshahpur section of Southern Peripheral Road in Gurgaon. Around 5:50 pm, assailants in a rented white Tata Punch car followed Fazilpuria's vehicle and fired a shot that struck a pole, causing no injuries. In an Instagram post, Sardhania claimed responsibility, describing it as a warning because Fazilpuria allegedly owed Rs 5 crore to gangster Deepak Nandal, who had supported the rapper's career, and threatened further action against his associates.
Sunil Sardhania, 39, an associate of Deepak Nandal, had been living in Costa Rica under the fake identity Suneel Singh. He obtained the passport from areas in Delhi like New Ashok Nagar and Vasundhara Enclave before fleeing to Dubai and then Costa Rica in 2024. From abroad, he coordinated the attack, arranging shooters and weapons through intermediaries, according to police.
The arrest operation was led by Inspector Anand Kumar of the Sector 31 Crime Branch, under the supervision of ACP Lalit Dalal and DCP Karan Goel. Sardhania, wanted in at least 24 cases across Haryana districts including Jind, Rohtak, Gurugram, and Uttar Pradesh areas like Baghpat and Agra, faces charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery, and dacoity. He had previously served a life sentence and a 10-year term but secured bail from the High Court in 2024.
Prior to this, seven suspects—Vishal, Hitesh, Gautam (alias Chhotu), Ramandeep (alias Petrol), Shubham (alias Kala), Shakti Panchal, and Ramniwas (alias Kalu)—were arrested, with police recovering the vehicle and weapons. Sardhania's capture brings the total to eight. DCP Karan Goel stated, “It is an important achievement for the Gurugram Police. To nab him, along with the Union Home Ministry, we had close coordination with the Interpol, and we had lookout circulars and red corner notices issued.”
Sardhania was presented before a court on Sunday and remanded to five days of police custody. Investigations continue into the Nandal-Sardhania network, analyzing CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and witness statements to uncover accomplices and linked crimes.