18 Facts About Suresh Nanda

Suresh Nanda was born on 1 June 1941 and is an Indian businessman, arms dealer and former naval officer.

Suresh Nanda was born to Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda and Sumitra Nanda in Karachi, British India.

Suresh Nanda studied in St Columba's School, Delhi, the same school where notable people, including Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and officers of the Indian Armed Forces like Rana Chhina, Arun Khetarpal and DS Hooda, had studied.

Suresh Nanda graduated from the 16th course of the National Defence Academy and joined the Indian Navy.

Suresh Nanda began his business career after leaving the Indian Navy and by the 1970s, he joined his father's company, Crown Corporation.

Suresh Nanda later took control of the Crown Corporation, and the company eventually became the Crown Group, with business interests in the defence, information technology and infrastructure industries.

Suresh Nanda founded and managed the company Dynatron Services, which focused on providing maintenance and after-sales service to for equipment sold in India.

In 2000, Suresh Nanda stated in interviews that he founded the company C-1 India, an e-commerce company that focused on providing an online portal for procurement and tenders for Indian government departments and government companies.

The scrutiny of C-1 India focused on foreign fund transfers into the company's accounts and queries on how government companies, including the then Ordinance Factory Board, was doing business with the company despite Suresh Nanda being named an arms dealer.

In 2003, Suresh Nanda entered the hotel industry by acquiring the Claridges Hotel in New Delhi and the Nabha Palace Hotel in Mussoorie.

Suresh Nanda has since the 1980s repeatedly faced allegations of being one of the three largest arms dealers in India and he was convicted by a special court in 2021 in connection with defence deals and bribery.

Sudhir Choudhrie and Vipin Khanna faced allegations of being among the other two largest arms dealers, and the families of all three individuals, including Suresh Nanda's family, were reported to have had a controlling presence in the Indian defence industry since the 1980s.

Berry as part of the sting operation, he stated that Suresh Nanda was one of the three largest arms dealers.

In March 2008, Suresh Nanda was arrested by the CBI, along with his son Sanjeev and chartered accountant Bipin Shah while reportedly trying to bribe an Income Tax Department officer Ashutosh Verma, the deputy director of IT, with Rs 10 crore to keep under wraps the report of a series of IT raids on his premises in 2007, which reportedly unearthed incriminating evidence of his involvement in the Barak Missile scandal.

The CBI's evidence against Suresh Nanda included 134 incriminating telephone conversations and messages that were intercepted in 2008.

Suresh Nanda is married to Renu Suresh Nanda and has two children, Sanjeev and Sonali.

Suresh Nanda was sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi court; but the Delhi High Court allowed him to serve two years instead.

However, the Supreme Court allowed Sanjeev Suresh Nanda to be released on account of his time served, required him to do two years of community service and pay a fine of 50 lakh rupees.