Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Jul 8: The United States has charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar with ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, in a significant development in the high-profile case that strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada.
The charges were announced under "Operation Hard Ball", an FBI-led international crackdown targeting transnational organised crime. The operation resulted in the arrest of 24 alleged members and associates of the Bishnoi gang across the United States, Canada and Europe.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), 37 defendants have been charged in three separate federal indictments involving three India-based organised crime syndicates. Of these, 24 have been arrested while 10 remain fugitives.
One of the indictments centres on Bishnoi, who US prosecutors allege directed a global criminal network from prison in India. The indictment states that Bishnoi and Goldy Brar ordered the killing of Nijjar, identified in court documents as "HSN", outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Nijjar's killing sparked a major diplomatic dispute after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the murder. India rejected the allegations, calling them "absurd and motivated."
According to the indictment, Bishnoi allegedly used contraband mobile phones and internet-based communication devices from prison to oversee political assassinations, murders, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other criminal activities across multiple countries.
Prosecutors identified Goldy Brar as the syndicate's North American leader and Rohit Godara as the person overseeing operations in Europe. Both are accused of coordinating the gang's activities outside India.
The DOJ alleged that the organisation used violence and intimidation, particularly targeting members of the Indian diaspora, while promoting its criminal influence through social media. Investigators further alleged that the syndicate financed its operations through international cocaine trafficking and extortion.
Gang members allegedly threatened victims through encrypted messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, demanding millions of dollars while warning of violence against them and their families. Prosecutors also accused the group of stealing cocaine shipments from rival trafficking organisations and coordinating narcotics smuggling between the US and Canada.
The second federal indictment targets the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organisation, which prosecutors described as another India-based criminal syndicate with operations spanning the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The group allegedly engaged in murder-for-hire, kidnappings, extortion, weapons trafficking and international drug smuggling.
A third indictment focuses on a Canada-based drug trafficking network allegedly headed by Ravinder Singh Dhanda, accused of transporting large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine from Southern California into Canada.
As part of the operation, investigators executed dozens of search warrants, including 23 in the Sacramento area and 11 in Los Angeles. Authorities seized nearly 1,000 kg of cocaine, one kg of heroin, 12 firearms and $40,000 in cash.
US officials described the enforcement action as one of the largest international operations targeting organised crime networks operating across North America.
"Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government," First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Patrick Grandy said the coordinated operation struck at the heart of three violent transnational criminal organisations responsible for terrorising communities in the US and abroad.
The investigation was carried out jointly by the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), US Customs and Border Protection, and several other law enforcement agencies across North America and Europe.
The RCMP described the operation as a major step in dismantling criminal networks led by Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said Canadian authorities worked closely with the FBI and international partners throughout the years-long investigation and pledged continued cooperation as the probe progresses.