WASHINGTON: The US has charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for ordering the assassination of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Bishnoi ordered the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar, mentioned as 'HSN' in court documents.
While Bishnoi is already in an Indian jail, the FBI announced a reward of USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Singh 'Brar'.
"On July 1, 2026, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Singh 'Brar' in the United States District Court, Central District of California, Los Angeles, California, after he was charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Interfere and Attempted Interference with Commerce by Extortion; and Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances,” the FBI said.
Singh has ties to Sacramento and Fresno, California; Canada; India; and Mexico, the FBI said.
In a coordinated action named 'Operation Hardball,' the law enforcement agencies of the US, Canada and Europe arrested 24 persons – 11 of them in California connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including Nijjar's assassination.
"Working together, law enforcement in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organisations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbour for these thugs," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli told a news conference in Los Angeles.
The killing of Nijjar soured bilateral relations between India and Canada as then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to link the government in New Delhi to the murder.
India has dismissed Trudeau's charges as "absurd" and "motivated."
The current action is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes around the world whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora, the Justice Department said.
According to the Justice Department, Bishnoi had delegated control of his enterprise to trusted lieutenants and regional leaders. These included Brar as the North American leader of the Bishnoi enterprise, Rohit Godara, 37, of Rajasthan, the European leader, and Sukhraj Singh Kang, 58, of Punjab.
According to the indictment, both Brar and Godara effectively spoke for Bishnoi and helped direct the actions of members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide, including acts of violence committed by the gang's members and associates in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.
According to the indictment documents, Bishnoi, Brar, Godara, and others extorted victims via WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging applications by threatening violence against the victims or the victims’ families.
In total, 37 defendants – including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India were charged across three indictments unsealed on Tuesday.
Those arrested in the United States, besides the 11 in California, one was nabbed in Indiana, and one in Georgia, are expected to make their initial appearances on Wednesday in federal court.
Three defendants were arrested in Canada, one defendant was arrested in Spain, and seven defendants were already in custody.
The agencies are looking for 10 fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.
Bishnoi has been imprisoned in India since 2015, while his aide Goldy Brar is still at large.
"Today's (Tuesday's) coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organisations that have terrorised families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the US and abroad," said Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said the agencies disrupted the operations of "organised criminals who used murder, cruelty and fear to extort and control people in both Canada and the United States.
"We won't pause for long to reflect on the work it took to get this job done – we'll keep doing what we do best to preserve public safety in Canada, in the United States, and around the world," Duheme said.