Gangster takes credit for killing associate of singer Fazilpuria in Gurugram

According to police, Sardhaniya, who hails from Rohtak and is allegedly linked to the Himanshu Bhau gang, warned that more bloodshed would follow if the singer failed to repay an alleged ₹5 crore loan.

A day after a close aide of Haryanvi pop singer Rahul Yadav, also known as Fazilpuria, was gunned down in Gurugram, gangster Sunil Sardhaniya, believed to be operating from abroad, claimed responsibility for the murder in a social media post.

The victim Rohit Shokeen, 40.

According to police, Sardhaniya, who hails from Rohtak and is allegedly linked to the Himanshu Bhau gang, warned that more bloodshed would follow if the singer failed to repay an alleged ₹5 crore loan.

Police, however, suspect there could be other motives, including gang rivalry, and said that the social media post might have been made to mislead investigators. “We are investigating all the facts, including the claims circulating on social media platforms,” a senior police official said, requesting anonymity. “We are also probing the murder from the angle of rivalry of gangsters active in Delhi-NCR.”

The victim, identified as Rohit Shokeen, 40, a resident of Kamaruddin Nagar in Delhi, was allegedly a financier of the singer and had three criminal cases registered against him in the national capital, police said.

According to officials, two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants, dressed as delivery executives, opened fire at Shokeen opposite Palm Hills society in Sector 77 around 8.45pm. A patrol team reached the spot minutes later and rushed Shokeen to the Sector-10A civil hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Police said the attackers fired 20-25 rounds, and Shokeen sustained at least 14 bullet injuries to his head, neck, chest, abdomen, forearms and buttocks. Three .30 caliber pellets (or bullets) (shells are the spent cartridges ejected soon after firing) were recovered from his body during the autopsy, which was conducted by a medical board on Tuesday.

ACP (Manesar) Virender Saini confirmed that multiple teams from the district police and crime branch have been constituted to trace the assailants and the conspirators. “We are trying to nab the assailants as soon as possible,” he said, adding that all leads are being pursued, including the financial dispute angle.

Incidentally, Sardhaniya had previously claimed responsibility for the firing incident on Fazilpuria on the night of July 14 in Sector 71. The singer had escaped unhurt, but a threatening post later surfaced online, warning him to return ₹5 crore or face consequences. Following that incident, Gurugram police provided Yadav with round-the-clock security, including two armed police personnel.

A senior police official said that they were gathering details of criminal antecedents of the gangster Sardhaniya including the number of cases in which he is booked across Haryana and other states.

Speaking to HT, Vijay Shokeen, elder brother of the deceased, said their father had filed a complaint with Delhi Police nearly a year ago stating that Rohit was facing threats to his life. “I don’t know much of the details of what happened afterwards,” he said. “He was into the real estate and rental business. I was unaware if he had recently received any threat or was in contact with any gangster.”

In his FIR, Vijay alleged that Rohit had borrowed his Delhi-registered Maruti Fronx to travel to Noida. “However, I received a phone call at 8:57pm that Rohit was shot in Gurugram, following which I rushed there with other family members,” he stated.

As of Tuesday evening, no arrests had been made. Police officials maintained that efforts are ongoing to verify the social media claims and ascertain the motive behind the attack.

Multiple calls were made to the singer but he could not be approached for a comment.