NEW YORK: Indian organised crime networks are facing growing international scrutiny after a series of arrests and prosecutions in the United States, Canada and Spain exposed the expanding reach of Indian gangs operating across borders.
The latest cases have highlighted links to fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and targeted killings. They have also raised questions about how India-based criminal groups have evolved into technology-enabled networks operating among the Indian diaspora.
In one recent case, the US Department of Justice said a 21-year-old man from India’s Gujarat state was arrested on charges including fraud and money laundering.
According to the department, the man acted as a financial facilitator for a fraud group whose schemes cost victims aged between 59 and 87 about $7.5 million.
STORY | Indian national arrested in US over multi-million-dollar fraud targeting elderly
An Indian national has been arrested and charged in the US for his alleged role as a “money mule” in a multi-million-dollar scheme targeting elderly victims. Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, 21, a… pic.twitter.com/Ea9Xe6z0o5
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 22, 2026
Indian magazine Firstpost reported that the accused fled to Canada after appearing in a US court and was later arrested there at the request of US authorities.
US Attorney Bill Easley has said criminal organisations operating from India are involved in large-scale violence, including targeted killings, extortion and kidnapping.
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The cases have added to growing international concern over criminal networks with links to India.
‘Operation Hard Ball’ targeting Indian crime gangs
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a multinational operation called “Operation Hard Ball”, targeting India-based organised crime gangs.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 24 suspects across the United States, Canada and Spain and the indictment of 37 defendants.
At the centre of the investigation is Lawrence Bishnoi, an Indian gangster serving a prison sentence in Gujarat.
US prosecutors accuse Bishnoi of directing murders, extortion and international drug trafficking from prison using smuggled mobile phones.
His deputy, Goldy Brar, also known as Satinderjeet Singh Brar, remains at large. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The operation has also brought renewed attention to the role of the Bishnoi network in violence targeting members of the Indian diaspora.
According to the US indictment, the organisation used violence, drug trafficking and extortion to expand its influence.
Prosecutors allege that members demanded millions of dollars from business owners in North America and ordered acts of violence against those who refused to pay.
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The indictment also accuses Bishnoi and Brar of directing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
From local Indian gangs to global networks
Experts cited by German broadcaster DW said the significance of the Bishnoi case extends beyond a single criminal organisation.
They said it illustrates how Indian organised crime has developed from a largely domestic law-and-order problem into a transnational enterprise with links across North America, Europe and other regions.
The Bishnoi network represents a different model, according to Shreekumar Menon, a counter-narcotics specialist who spoke to DW.
Menon said the Bishnoi gang represents “a new generation of Indian organised crime”.
Its operations span India, Canada and the United States, he said, and do not depend on protection from a foreign government.
Instead, investigators say the network relies on diaspora connections, digital communications, drug trafficking and firearms to sustain extortion operations and project influence abroad.
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Menon said the growth of the Indian diaspora, particularly in North America, had created new markets and opportunities for criminal networks.
He said the Bishnoi network was more technologically sophisticated than earlier syndicates, using encrypted communications and overseas operatives to coordinate criminal activity.
“While it cannot be compared with the scale of Colombian cartels, its emergence in North America’s drug and extortion landscape marks a significant change,” Menon told DW.
Wider organised crime concerns
The latest arrests have highlighted criminal activity beyond the Bishnoi network.
According to Indian broadcaster NDTV, Canadian law enforcement agencies arrested several truck drivers of Indian origin during an operation targeting a cross-border smuggling network.
Canadian authorities seized 1.7 tonnes of illegal narcotics valued at about $139 million, the broadcaster reported.
Criminal groups of Indian origin had become a major organised crime network involved in a broad range of serious offences worldwide.
Taken together, the cases point to a growing challenge for law enforcement agencies dealing with criminal groups whose operations cross multiple jurisdictions.
