The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that a total of 24 people have been arrested 24 across the US, Canada, and Europe in a coordinated international operation targeting three India-based organised crime groups, including the gang.
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said the arrests were the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that were engaged in targeted killings, extortion and drug trafficking around the world.
Bishnoi, Goldy Brar named in Nijjar murder
According to a federal indictment in Los Angeles unsealed on Tuesday, Bishnoi, who has been imprisoned in India, and his close associate, Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, have been charged with directing the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
In total, 37 defendants have been charged across three indictments unsealed on Tuesday.
“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli in a statement.
According to the indictment, Bishnoi and Brar ordered the shooting of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Indictment does not mention Indian govt
The then-Canadian Prime Minister had claimed that there were credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder. However, the US indictment charging Bishnoi and Singh does not allege any Indian government role in the killing.
Neither First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli nor any other official at a press conference in Los Angeles alleged that the Indian government was involved in or aware of the killing.
Lawrence Bishnoi – from student politics to gang leader
The indictment describes Lawrence Bishnoi as a gangster long imprisoned in India, who was a self-styled university student leader before tiring of politics and turning himself and his followers to crime.
“In public, Bishnoi projected an image of himself as a “patriot,” “nationalist,” and deeply religious individual through social media posts and interviews with news organizations and used this public image to recruit members and associates to his crime syndicate in India, the United States, and elsewhere,” it stated.
What indictment said about Bishnoi gang
“Enterprise routinely targeted prominent religious, social, and political leaders with violence, and used these high-profile acts to terrorise and extort members of the community. For instance, in November 2023, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for a separate shooting that occurred at the Vancouver, Canada, residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer, and warned in the Punjabi language in a Facebook post, “no one can save you from us,” the Federal indictment stated.
Lawrence Bishnoi gang
While the exact whereabouts of are officially unknown, Lawrence Bishnoi has been behind bars in India since 2015. His younger brother, Anmol Bishnoi, who was arrested in California in November 2024 for illegal entry into the US.
The younger Bishnoi was deported to India in November 2025, where he is facing charges in multiple high-profile cases, including the murders of NCP leader Baba Siddique and singer .
Two more Indian gangsters indicted
Federal prosecutors have also levelled allegations against gangsters – Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Singh Dhanda in separate cases.
According to the indictment, “Dhanda operated a drug distribution network that provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico,” the statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office stated.
“Bhagwanpuria gang operates as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India with members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand,” they added.
Cocaine and firearms were seized as part of Operation Hard Ball, officials said.
