Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar Charged In Hardeep Singh Nijjar Murder, Says US; Announces 24 Arrests
Federal prosecutors here also announced that 24 people are linked to charges of violent crimes, extortion plots, and international narcotics trafficking.
Published : July 8, 2026 at 4:02 AM IST
|Updated : July 8, 2026 at 10:47 AM IST
Los Angeles: The United States (US) has charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, with allegedly ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023.
The charges were announced as part of a sweeping international crackdown on India-linked organised crime networks operating across North America and Europe.
According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Bishnoi and Brar orchestrated the killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Nijjar, who was 45 at the time of his death, was a leading figure in the Khalistan movement and was associated with Sikhs For Justice, where he was organising an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora.
Massive International Crackdown
The charges are part of Operation Hard Ball, a joint law enforcement operation involving agencies from the US, Canada and Europe. The operation targeted three India-based transnational organised crime syndicates allegedly involved in murders, kidnappings, extortion, racketeering, firearms trafficking and international narcotics smuggling.
The US Justice Department said 37 defendants have been charged across three federal indictments, while 24 people have been arrested. Among those arrested are 11 people in California, along with one each in Indiana and Georgia. Three suspects were arrested in Canada, one in Spain and seven were already in custody.
Authorities are still searching for 10 fugitives: seven in the United States, two in India and one in Europe.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said the operation was the result of a years-long investigation into criminal syndicates whose activities affected Indian diaspora communities across several countries.
"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," Essayli said.
FBI Announces Reward For Goldy Brar
While Bishnoi has been lodged in an Indian jail since 2015, Goldy Brar remains at large. The FBI has announced a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information leading to Brar's arrest.
According to the FBI, a federal arrest warrant was issued against Brar on July 1, 2026, by the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He has been charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) conspiracy, conspiracy to interfere and attempted interference with commerce by extortion, and conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances with intent to distribute.
The FBI said Brar has links to Sacramento and Fresno in California, as well as to Canada, India, and Mexico.
Bishnoi Gang: A Global Criminal
The indictment describes the Bishnoi gang as a global criminal enterprise that allegedly targeted prominent religious, political and social leaders through violence to spread fear and extort money.
According to the Justice Department, Bishnoi delegated the organisation's operations to trusted associates, including Brar, who allegedly headed the gang's North American operations; Rajasthan-based Rohit Godara, who looked after Europe; and Punjab-based Sukhraj Singh Kang.
Investigators alleged that Brar and Godara effectively spoke on Bishnoi's behalf and directed violent operations carried out by members of the organisation in the United States, Canada and other countries.
The indictment also alleges that Bishnoi, Brar, Godara and others extorted victims through WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging applications by threatening them and their families.
Federal prosecutors also referred to another incident in November 2023, when Bishnoi allegedly claimed responsibility for a shooting outside the Vancouver residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer and later posted a threat on Facebook in Punjabi.
The US Justice Department has also brought charges against members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang and Ravinder Singh Dhanda's network.
According to the indictment, Dhanda allegedly ran an international drug trafficking network that supplied bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organisations operating in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Bhagwanpuria gang has been described as a transnational criminal syndicate based in India with members spread across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Authorities also alleged that members of these groups stole large consignments of drugs from rival criminal organisations in California before redistributing them across the US and Canada.
Investigators further claimed that some accused maintained links with corrupt local officials in India and used those connections to target rivals or individuals believed to be cooperating with law enforcement agencies. At least one accused allegedly continued directing criminal activities while being held in a US immigration detention facility.
Officials said cocaine and firearms were seized during Operation Hard Ball.
FBI, RCMP Highlight Global Cooperation
Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said the three criminal organisations had spread fear within Indian communities across California and other countries. He said Tuesday's coordinated action struck at organisations responsible for murders, extortion and organised violence in the United States and abroad.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said investigators had disrupted organised criminal networks that used murder, intimidation and fear to control and extort people in both Canada and the United States.
He said law enforcement agencies would continue working together to dismantle such international crime groups.
Nijjar Killing Triggered India-Canada Diplomatic Row
The killing of Nijjar became the centre of a major diplomatic dispute between India and Canada.
On September 18, 2023, then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian agencies had "credible intelligence" linking Indian government agents to Nijjar's killing. In October 2024, he said police had "clear and compelling evidence" supporting those allegations.
India strongly rejected the accusations, describing them as "absurd" and "motivated".
The row led both countries to expel six diplomats each in a tit-for-tat move, pushing bilateral ties to their lowest point in years.
Relations have since improved under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Ottawa signalling that it no longer links India to criminal activities on Canadian soil.
The US Attorney's Office said all charges contained in the indictments are allegations and that every accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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