Spread the news
Washington, July 8
Nearly three years after Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down outside a Canadian gurdwara, the United States has charged jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his alleged lieutenant Goldy Brar, accusing them of ordering the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift between India and Canada. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles accused Bishnoi of directing the assassination of Nijjar a Canadian citizen who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 2023. The Court documents identify the victim only as “HSN”.
Although Bishnoi has remained in an Indian prison since 2015, the FBI announced a reward of 50,000 US dollars for information leading to the arrest of Brar, who remains at large.
US authorities said Brar is wanted on charges including racketeering conspiracy, extortion conspiracy and drug trafficking conspiracy. Investigators believe he has links to California, Canada, India and Mexico.
The charges form part of Operation Hardball, a coordinated investigation involving law enforcement agencies from the United States, Canada and Europe targeting three India-based transnational organised crime groups.
Authorities said the operation led to the arrest of 24 people, including 11 in California, with those charged facing allegations ranging from racketeering and extortion to drug trafficking and targeted killings.
Speaking in Los Angeles, First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said the investigation demonstrated that international criminal organisations would be pursued across borders.
“There is no safe harbour for these thugs,” he said.
The US Justice Department described the case as the result of a years-long investigation into organised crime syndicates accused of carrying out violence, extortion and narcotics trafficking across several countries, with significant impact on members of the Indian diaspora.
The US alleged that Bishnoi continued to run his criminal network from prison through trusted associates including Brar, who allegedly oversaw operations in North America, and Rohit Godara, who investigators say coordinated activities in Europe.
The indictment alleges the network used encrypted messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, to threaten victims and their families while demanding money through extortion schemes.
In total, prosecutors unsealed three indictments charging 37 people, including two alleged crime bosses accused of directing their organisations while imprisoned in India.
Authorities said arrests were made across the United States, Canada and Spain, while several suspects were already in custody. Investigators are still searching for 10 fugitives, including Brar.
FBI Assistant Director Patrick Grandy said the coordinated operation targeted organisations accused of using violence and intimidation to expand their influence.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said the investigation disrupted criminal groups that had relied on “murder, cruelty and fear” to control communities in both Canada and the United States.
Nijjar’s killing became the centre of a major diplomatic dispute between India and Canada after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged links between Indian government agents and the assassination. India rejected those allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”. The latest US charges focus instead on alleged members of an organised criminal network.
