GURGAON: Sitting in his father’s jewellery shop last month, the young, reclusive man behind the counter transformed as he found himself alone, attached his camera to a selfie stand and turned on video recording. The 22-year-old picked up a gun, struck a pose and uploaded the video. Days later, a police social media monitoring team tasked with spotting early signs of delinquency paid him a visit.A gun raised for a reel. A Bhiku Mhatre, Manya Surve, Don dialogue delivered for the camera. A regional track, usually Haryanvi or Punjabi, as audio, also delivering a punchy line on violence. And a pose, preferably emanating raw male aggression, rounding it off.Not every video creator is looking to make it big online as an influencer. In cities, towns and villages, a number of youths — like the jeweller’s 22-year-old son — are doing it to make it into the algo badlands that have potential recruits on the other side looking for local guns for hire, believing it’s the fastest route to big money.
Ordinary youths
Gangsters who ‘dunki-ed’ their way to Europe and the US have become one of India’s biggest law-and-order problems, appearing to strike at will. Whether it’s executing the hit on Sidhu Moose Wala (killed in Punjab in 2022), sending shooters armed to the teeth into Gurgaon’s tony Sushant Lok to intimidate a businessman (this July), or firing at actor Tiger Shroff (this October in Juhu), gangsters based abroad appear to have no problem recruiting local shooters for hit jobs.Social media is the easiest route. Hence, the video auditions.Regional connections have made Haryana a happy hunting ground for the likes of Goldy Brar (a designated terrorist who ordered the hit on Moose Wala and is believed to be operating from Canada), Himanshu Bhau (detained by the FBI last month), Anil Pandit (who claimed to be behind the attempt on Shroff), Deepak Nandal (who ordered the Sushant Lok shooting this July) and Rohit Godara (allegedly behind the firing at model-actor Disha Patani’s house in Bareilly in September 2025). Two of the three shooters arrested for firing at Shroff are 18-year-olds from Sonipat.
Toxic reelationship
Police officers involved in tracking down ‘audition’ videos under Operation Ankush said many of the profiles they came across — like that of a 24-year-old private employee in Manesar who uploaded a video brandishing a gun — belonged to ordinary youths with no criminal record, some of whom had only just started college.Gangs follow the profiles that draw their attention through handles run by associates that bear the name of the gang leader, police sources said. They show interest with a comment, a reaction or a direct message. “When they make contact, they make these youths feel valued, offer money for a job, protection and opportunities to go abroad. The handlers stay distant. The youngsters on the street take all the risk,” said a police officer.The route from online contact to an offline hit job was evident in the case of Pradeep Singh (18), from Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal, who was arrested in Rohini in January 2024. He was fascinated by Instagram reels showing gangsters brandishing weapons. After moving to Gurgaon, he followed gangster Virender Pratap alias Kala Rana and messaged him, saying he wanted to join. Rana’s brother, Bhanu, contacted him on Signal. Police said Singh was assigned a crime in Delhi and given weapons, but was arrested before the job could be carried out.Deepak (19) and a juvenile (17), both school dropouts, were apprehended after shootings outside a gym in Paschim Vihar and a businessman’s house in West Vinod Nagar in January 2026. They were allegedly contacted by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang through social media. Weapons were supplied through local conduits. “Some gangs ask recruits to take a firing test with a weapon before handing them a hit job,” the officer said.“Country-made firearms for making videos can be procured from parts of UP, Bihar and MP for Rs 5,000-10,000. Some youngsters use other people’s licensed weapons for videos. Some display guns at weddings and alongside SUVs. We have initiated action to cancel licences where firearms were misused,” the officer said.The scale of these videos prompted Gurgaon police to launch Operation Ankush on September 9. Haryana’s special task force (STF) has also set up a social media team. A source said Gurgaon police have so far scanned 2,251 Instagram accounts and identified 57 vulnerable youngsters. Of them, 24 were made to post apology videos.One user who was made to post an apology video was Himanshu Singla of Ravi Nagar. “I had uploaded a video on Instagram in which I was flaunting a weapon. With folded hands, I would like to apologise for such an act. I don’t want people or my friends to make such videos that send a negative image in society. I was at fault and would like to apologise,” he said in the video posted on Gurgaon police’s social media account.Gurgaon police commissioner Sibash Kabiraj said, “The objective of Operation Ankush is to keep youngsters away from gangsters and the world of crime. Young people are often attracted by the lure of fame and money, which gangs exploit to draw them into criminal activities. We are continuously monitoring social media platforms. Strict action will be taken against anyone found promoting or engaging in criminal activities. Those flaunting licensed firearms on social media will face cancellation of their arms licences, while those displaying or carrying country-made or illegal weapons will face criminal cases.”An STF officer said, “Inputs on suspicious profiles are being shared with other states to facilitate coordinated action. The focus is on breaking the recruitment chain at an early stage. Wherever youngsters are found engaging with such content or being influenced by gangsters, we are reaching out to counsel them and steer them away from crime.”