Fled over a year back, grew his network in Georgia: Gangster behind BSP leader’s murder extradited

Last year, in January, Haryana Police arrested five alleged shooters within three days — Sagar, Rajan, Mangu, Gagan and Shivam. All five men were wanted for allegedly shooting dead Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Harbilash Hajjumajra inside his car in Ambala on January 24, 2025.

Even as the police had zeroed on the suspected gangster behind the killing due to purported social media posts, the statements of the five shooters confirmed the name — Vainkat Garg (29), an ally of Kapil Sangwan Aka Nandu, the notorious gangster based out of the United Kingdom.

However, about a month before he allegedly executed his most infamous murder, Garg had allegedly fled India. The gangster, following his arrest after registration of 23 cases against him in Chandigarh and Haryana, had got out on bail in October 2024 and escaped. The first case filed against him dated back to 2016, said officers.

“Investigation conducted by STF Haryana revealed that Vainket Garg fled India on December 10, 2024, from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, to the United Arab Emirates and subsequently travelled to Georgia on January 26, 2025,” read a statement by Haryana Police.

To stay in Georgia, officers said, he only needed proof of residence in UAE, as per the East European country’s laws. “From Georgia, he established contact with Kapil Sangwan. Most gangs in Delhi were consolidating and forming alliances back then. Garg did the same,” a police officer said.

Year-long efforts by the Indian authorities have finally led to his extradition . The CBI, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Haryana Police. A team from Haryana Police reached Tbilisi five days back and he was brought back to Delhi on Thursday.

At present, he is allegedly involved in at least 34 cases. Of these, 11 are linked to crimes perpetrated from foreign soil. Police say his involvement is suspected in many more.

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Born in Chandana Colony of Narayangarh area of Ambala in Haryana, Garg initially got involved with local gangs. He managed to scale his network to a 53-member network based in the NCR, with cases of Arms Act, extortion and murder filed against the members

Haryana Police wasn’t the only one who tried to bring Garg back. “About six months back, the Delhi Police had found him involved in the murder of a businessman in Paschim Vihar area of Delhi. The businessman was suspected of being close to Kapil Sangwan’s rival, Manjeet Mahal, and was looking after some of his properties. The Delhi Police had requested the MEA to revoke Garg’s passports along with those of nine other criminals,” said a police officer.

Apart from the above case, Garg was allegedly involved in recruiting and directing shooters around the Delhi- NCR area. After the killing of the BSP leader, sources said that his gang had become more active in the Capital.

Two of the gang’s alleged shooters, Harshdeep (20), a resident of Ambala Cantt in Haryana, and his cousin Naveen Dhiman (24) from Panipat, were arrested by the Delhi Police in August 2025, five months after the killing of BSP leader. “The shooters were found to be involved in an extortion- related firing case in Dwarka area of Delhi. Since the BSP leader’s killing, Venkat gang felt they could now command extortion fees in the Capital, as they were feared,” said a police officer.

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When the police searched the two shooters, they found sophisticated automatic pistols, including a Glock 17 and a Star.

“Garg lured shooters like Harshdeep by offering them jobs in the Middle East. He was in constant touch with his shooters through social media till the said operation was executed,” said a source.

Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana.

Education
– Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020)
– B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019)

Professional Experience
Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.

Reporting Interests
His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.

Recent Coverage (2025)
– Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025).
– Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).
– Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025).
– Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.
– Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025).
– Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).

Contact
X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous … Read More