CHANDIGARH: Notorious gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, have been charged by the United States for allegedly ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023.
Other gangsters indicted include Rohit Godara and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria for separate offences.
The charges stem from a years-long federal investigation under Operation Hard Ball, which targeted Indian crime syndicates allegedly involved in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, transnational narcotics trafficking and other organised crimes whose impact has been particularly felt among the Indian diaspora.
In a statement, the US Department of Justice said law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe arrested 24 defendants, including 11 in California, who are connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups.
In all, 37 defendants—including two who allegedly ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India—have been charged in three indictments unsealed on Tuesday. Of those arrested, 11 were apprehended in California, one in Indiana and one in Georgia, and are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court. Three defendants were arrested in Canada, one in Spain, while seven others were already in custody before the coordinated law enforcement operation.
According to a nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 1, Lawrence Bishnoi (33), of Punjab, India, was a self-styled university student leader before abandoning politics and allegedly turning himself and his followers to organised 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 organisations. He used this public image to recruit members and associates to his crime syndicate in India, the United States and elsewhere," the indictment stated.
"In private, Bishnoi presided over a sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents. Using contraband cell phones and other voice-over internet protocol devices smuggled into his jail cell, Bishnoi personally directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other crimes committed by members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide," it added.
According to the indictment, the Canadian government designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity in September 2025. To manage the organisation's day-to-day operations, Bishnoi allegedly delegated authority to trusted lieutenants and regional leaders, including Satinderjeet Singh (32), alias Goldy Brar, of Punjab, the North American leader of the syndicate; Rohit Godara (37), of Rajasthan, the European leader; and Sukhraj Singh Kang (58), of Punjab.
"Both Brar and Godara effectively spoke for Bishnoi and helped direct the actions of members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide, including acts of violence committed by the gang in the United States, Canada and elsewhere," the indictment said.
It further alleged that the gang engaged in violent activities in every country in which it operated and used violence to create a climate of fear, particularly in India and among Indian diaspora communities. The organisation allegedly exploited that fear to extort victims while amplifying its criminal reputation through online videos and social media posts.
Among the crimes detailed in the indictment is the assassination of prominent Sikh political and religious leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, identified in court documents as "H.S.N.", who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Prosecutors alleged that the enterprise routinely targeted prominent religious, social and political leaders, using such high-profile attacks to terrorise communities and facilitate extortion.
Nijjar's killing severely strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged links between the Indian government and the assassination. India dismissed the allegations as "absurd and motivated."
Between March 2024 and July 2025, the syndicate allegedly stole about 520 kilograms (1,146 pounds) of cocaine from rival trafficking organisations in the greater Los Angeles area.
