UAPA Probe: Advocate Deepak Nanda and Another Sent to Judicial Custody

A bench of the Special Judge at Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday ordered that advocate Deepak Nanda – also known as Deepak Khatri – and his alleged associate Rishabh Kapoor be kept in judicial custody until the first of October. The move comes after three days of police custody and follows a lengthy interrogation by Delhi Police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA.

Judge Prashant Sharma, who presided over the hearing, noted that the investigation was still very much in progress. He pointed to the case diaries and the application filed by the investigating officer, which referenced oral testimonies, electronic extracts and other evidence that suggested the two men were indeed involved in the alleged crime.

While the police had initially asked for 27 days of judicial remand, the court settled on 26 days, directing that the accused be produced before it on 1 October 2026. Given the seriousness of the allegations – illegal arms supply, extortion and a possible threat to national security – the judge also instructed the jail superintendent to keep the two men in separate cells and to take all necessary precautions for their safety.

Deepak Nanda’s alleged link to the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is what initially put him on the radar. He was seized at Indira Gandhi International Airport on 25 August, just as he was about to board a flight. The very next day, the Rouse Avenue court granted the police three days of police custody, citing the need to analyse roughly 100 GB of data extracted from Nanda’s phone.

Rishabh Kapoor was arrested a little later, on 2 September, and faced the same three‑day police custody before being handed over to judicial remand alongside Nanda. According to the police, the broader probe has so far led to the arrest of 20 suspects, the seizure of 33 semi‑automatic pistols – including two sub‑machine guns – and 368 live cartridges.

Investigators say the weapons were being gathered for a potential terror plot aimed at large public gatherings. A chargesheet filed on 24 August named 18 arrested individuals and identified an absconding kingpin, Shahbaz Ansari, as the mastermind.

Both the Intelligence Bureau and the National Investigation Agency have already interrogated the accused, the police said. During questioning, Nanda allegedly admitted involvement in an international terror module that allegedly operated under Shahbaz Ansani’s direction, with operatives such as Harshpal Singh Rubal and Nishant Arora.

The court, acknowledging the gravity of the offences and the national‑security angle, emphasized that custodial interrogation was justified at this stage. It also ordered that the next hearing be conducted via video‑conference to minimise further movement of the accused.