LOS ANGELES: United States prosecutors have charged jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, over the June 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, as part of a major international crackdown on India-based organised crime networks.
US prosecutors charged alleged Indian gang members with directing the 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Vancouver, a killing which prompted a diplomatic crisis between India and Canada.
One of the groups allegedly was led by Lawrence Bishnoi, who US officials… pic.twitter.com/GTIlN7LImz
— Bloomberg (@business) July 8, 2026
US prosecutors charged Indian gang members with directing the 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Vancouver, a killing which prompted a diplomatic crisis between India and Canada.
The charges were announced under “Operation Hard Ball,” a coordinated law enforcement action involving authorities in the United States, Canada and Europe. Prosecutors said 37 members of India-based transnational crime groups were charged, while 24 people were arrested, including 11 in California.
International crackdown on India-based organized crime gangs results in 24 arrests in U.S., Canada, and Europe https://t.co/MGFQzJAp6F
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) July 7, 2026
Three federal indictments unsealed in Los Angeles detail crimes including racketeering, murder, targeted shootings, kidnapping, extortion, firearms trafficking, drug smuggling and human smuggling.
US prosecutors stated that Bishnoi, 33, directed crimes from his jail cell in India using smuggled cellphones and other communication devices. They described him as the head of one of the criminal organisations.
Bishnoi and Goldy Brar ordered the June 18, 2023, assassination of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Authorities identified the victim by initials, H.S.N., though media reports have identified him as Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to prosecutors, the gang used Nijjar’s killing and other acts of violence to terrorise Sikh and Indian-origin communities and strengthen extortion networks.
Indian networks under scrutiny
Authorities said the organisations preyed on Indian diaspora communities in the United States and Canada, either by forcing people into cooperation or extorting them through threats.
In one case, prosecutors said, a police chief based in India demanded $400,000 from a Los Angeles family after threatening to falsely charge one of their India-based relatives with murder.
BREAKING: An Indian police chief demanded $400,000 from a family in Los Angeles, say U.S. authorities
He threatened to frame false murder charges against their family if they didn’t pay
America will seek his extradition from India pic.twitter.com/yAmfUQwYKK
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) July 8, 2026
The indictments also said that some India-based networks corrupted law enforcement officers and government officials in India to support extortion schemes and trigger baseless criminal proceedings against perceived rivals.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said the organisations had engaged in widespread violence, including targeted killings, extortions and kidnappings.
Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said the operation struck at three brutal transnational organisations that had spread fear, drugs and violence in the United States and abroad.
Drugs, weapons seized
Authorities said they seized nearly 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, $40,000 in cash and around a dozen firearms. Search warrants were executed in the Sacramento and Los Angeles areas.
FBI announces three indictments charging 37 in an international organized crime operation based in India: “These criminal organizations have engaged in widespread violence including targeted killings, extortions and kidnappings.” pic.twitter.com/2oc9HR7vlm
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 7, 2026
Another indictment charges Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a former Bishnoi associate who built a rival network with more than 1,000 members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
His group moved large cocaine and methamphetamine shipments from Southern California to the eastern United States and the United States-Canada border.
A third indictment names Ravinder Singh Dhanda, a Canadian leader accused of running a major cocaine and methamphetamine distribution network.
US legal experts said the indictments show how American prosecutors are increasingly treating diaspora-linked criminal networks as transnational security threats rather than isolated gang cases. They said charges involving murder, racketeering, narcotics, weapons and cross-border intimidation could strengthen extradition efforts and increase pressure on countries where leaders remain jailed or at large.
The case also weakens India’s attempt to present itself only as a victim of terrorism, as Western law enforcement now appears to be treating India-based criminal syndicates as a serious threat to public safety, community security and international law enforcement cooperation.
