It was the sharp eyes of alert neighbours, coupled with a highly coordinated, multi-directional trap laid by the Gurugram Police Crime Branch, that ultimately foiled a major Rs 10 crore extortion bid targeting prominent businessman Vishal Beri and his family late on Thursday night.Investigators have revealed that the five heavily armed shooters belonging to the overseas-operated Deepak Nandal gang never actually intended to kill any of the family members.Their primary objective was to intimidate Beri and collect the staggering extortion amount. However, their plan unraveled completely because Beri was not at home when they arrived, and their decision to wait for him ultimately cost them their lives.Suspicious movements flagged by residentsThe hitmen arrived at Block A, Sushant Lok Phase-1, in a rented black Mahindra Scorpio SUV and parked outside the house, waiting for Beri to return.Sensing that something was amiss, nearby residents noticed the suspicious vehicle and the armed men loitering outside. Demonstrating remarkable courage, neighbours began clicking pictures and recording videos of the suspects on their mobile phones.Realising they were being watched and photographed, the panicked gang members hurriedly covered the SUV’s registration plates with black tape.At the same time, the alert neighbours dialled the police control room, giving the Crime Branch critical minutes to execute a swift ambush.The fugitive’s panic orderStranded outside the house and realising that their cover had been blown, the shooters made a frantic phone call to their overseas handler, Deepak Nandal. According to sources, Nandal ordered the module to open fire at Beri’s home to create widespread panic and videograph the entire attack. The recorded video was intended to be used later to terrorise Beri further or to challenge the police online directly.As the shooters unleashed nearly two dozen rounds, riddling the property with bullets and trapping Beri’s wife and a relative inside, they were completely unaware that the police had already deployed a massive dragnet. One Crime Branch team converged on the spot from the Block A side, while a second team moved in from the MG Road side.Cornered and eliminatedThe shooters were caught completely off guard by the team arriving from the MG Road side, which cut off their planned escape route. In a desperate bid to break through the police cordon, the gang turned their automatic weapons on the officers, triggering a fierce exchange of fire that left three Crime Branch personnel injured.A third police team then strategically pushed the suspects back, cornering them inside an adjacent vacant plot. Outmanoeuvred and pinned down from multiple directions, all five attackers were neutralised in the ensuing gun battle.