Highlights
- US charges Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar over Hardeep Singh Nijjar's 2023 killing.
- FBI announces $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar's arrest.
- Operation Hardball targets 37 alleged members of India-based organised crime groups.
- Indictment does not allege any role by the Indian government.
THE UNITED STATES has charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, with ordering the 2023 killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada as part of a wider crackdown on India-based organised crime groups.
A federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday alleges that Bishnoi ordered the shooting of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
According to the indictment, Bishnoi directed the operation from an Indian jail, while Brar allegedly led the North American operations of the Bishnoi criminal organisation.
The FBI announced a reward of $50,000 for information leading to Brar's arrest.
"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 agency said.
The charges were announced alongside Operation Hardball, a coordinated operation involving law enforcement agencies in the US, Canada and Europe. Authorities charged 37 defendants linked to three India-based organised crime groups with offences including racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking and targeted killings. Twenty-four people were arrested or were already in custody, including 11 in California, while authorities are seeking 10 fugitives.
"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 said.
The Justice Department said the investigation focused on crime syndicates involved in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion and international drug trafficking. According to the indictment, Bishnoi had delegated control of his organisation to trusted lieutenants, including Brar as its North American leader and Rohit Godara as its European leader.
Nijjar's killing led to a diplomatic dispute after then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said authorities were pursuing allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder. India rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated". The US indictment does not allege any role by the Indian government in the killing.
"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 operation disrupted 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.
(With inputs from agencies)
