Gangster linked to singer Fazilpuria attack arrested on return from Costa Rica

The accused, Sunil alias Sardhaniya, allegedly coordinated contract killings and weapon supplies while abroad; police say he evaded arrest using a fake passport.

The Gurugram Police on Saturday arrested Sunil, alias Sardhaniya, 39, a wanted criminal involved in multiple crimes, moments after he landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi. Officers said the accused was wanted in the firing on singer Rahul Fazilpuria and the murder of Rohit Shaukeen and had fled India in 2024 using a forged passport.

Arms and ammunition recovered after an encounter in Gurugram where singer Rahul Fazilpuria was attacked and Rohit Shaukeen killed. (HT Photo)

According to police, Sardhaniya, a resident of Sardhana village in Sonipat, had been living in Costa Rica and coordinating contract killings, extortion, and firing incidents in Gurugram and other parts of Haryana. After receiving intelligence on his travel plans, a special team led by Inspector Anand Kumar, in charge of the Crime Branch, Sector 31, intercepted him at the airport and took him into custody.

“The accused was wanted in several sensational cases, including the Rohit Shaukeen murder and the firing on singer Rahul Fazilpuria. He had fled abroad on fake documents and was now arrested as soon as he arrived in India,” said a senior police officer.

Investigations revealed that Sardhaniya played a central role in supplying weapons, vehicles, and shooters for several violent crimes. Police said he plotted Rohit Shaukeen’s murder on the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and the July 14, 2025, attack on Fazilpuria, when gunmen in a Tata Punch opened fire on the singer’s Thar near Baharampur Road. Fazilpuria narrowly escaped as the bullet struck a roadside pole.

Police said Sardhaniya’s criminal history spans over two decades with 24 cases of murder, robbery, extortion, and dacoity across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, including convictions in two murder cases. He had fled while on interim bail granted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, using a fake passport under the name Sunil Singh from Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave.

Police said he arrived in India via Dubai and was detained based on a Look Out Circular (LOC). He was produced before a local court on Sunday and remanded to five days of police custody. “We will interrogate him thoroughly about his network, weapon suppliers, and overseas contacts. More arrests are likely to follow,” Anand Kumar, in charge crime branch unit, Sector 31.