‘Like a movie scene’: 65 rounds fired in Gurgaon encounter after businessman’s house targeted

Police swept up to the scene shortly after the alleged shooters opened fire outside the three-storey residence of businessman Vishal Beri.

“It happened between 10 pm and 10.30 pm,” another resident of the neighbourhood, a businessman who lives in a bungalow not far from Beri’s home, said. “We heard a volley of gunshots for a few minutes. Then it stopped, and started again after some time. A few minutes later, we saw a large number of policemen in the lane,” he said.

A bullet mark on a wall at the site of an encounter between Gurgaon Police Crime Branch teams and suspected criminals in the Sushant Lok Phase-2 area. (PTI Photo)

Several residents recorded videos of the shootout from their homes. In one of the videos, a man holding a weapon can be seen moving towards Beri’s residence. Residents said they had been told later that the man was a plainclothes police officer.

A police source said that a Crime Branch team under the supervision of DCP (Crime) Hitesh Yadav had laid a trap near Beri’s residence, located at a T-junction in a lane in Sushant Lok Phase 1, about 500 metres from M G Road. The lane has both bungalows and buildings comprising builder floors.

“On Thursday evening, the Crime Branch received a tip-off about the movement of some shooters near Beri’s residence. Officials from police stations in Sectors 17, 39, and 40 were immediately called, and a joint team was formed. Policemen were deployed around the locality in three vehicles,” the source said.

Around 9.45 pm, a black Scorpio SUV with its front number plate covered by black tape, entered the lane from the MG Road side, police said. As soon as the vehicle stopped, three men got off and allegedly opened fire at Beri’s residence. Another man recorded the shooting on a mobile phone, apparently as proof for their boss.

Outside the house of businessman Vishal Beri in Gurgaon’s Sushant Lok. (Express Photo)

Police believe the occupants of the vehicle intended to be inside the neighbourhood before 11 pm, after which no vehicles are allowed to enter without prior registration.

Beri had received several threats earlier, and police suspect the accused had carried out prior reconnaissance of the area. According to the source, they had demanded Rs 10 crore, and threatened him with serious consequences if he failed to pay up.

As the firing began, the Crime Branch team, which was lying in wait, moved in from three sides, taking advantage of the house’s location at a T-junction.

On spotting the police, the shooters allegedly opened fire at the police teams, and the officers retaliated. A police officer said the driver of the Scorpio rammed the vehicle into some bushes by the roadside.

All five occupants of the Scorpio and three of the policemen sustained gunshot injuries. Four of the shooters were declared dead in hospital. They had received more than two dozen bullets in their bodies, sources said.

According to another police source, around 65 rounds were fired by both sides during the encounter. Five foreign-made semi-automatic pistols were recovered from the accused.

“It is suspected that they had planned to open fire at Beri’s residence to frighten the family. However, the motive and sequence of events are still being investigated. One of the accused remains in critical condition in hospital,” the source said.