Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing | US charges Lawrence Bishnoi, Brar; no India government link: Canada

Called “Operation Hardball”, the coordinated action by law enforcement from the US, Canada and Europe led to the arrest of 24 people connected to three Indian crime syndicates, now charged with a series of crimes including Nijjar’s assassination, the DoJ said Wednesday.

Members of the three gangs have been charged with targeted killings, shootings, extortion and narcotics trafficking across borders, offences carrying up to life imprisonment, the DoJ said.

In Ottawa, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Lisa Moreland told CBC News: “There is no evidence to suggest that through this organised crime syndicate investigation and the charges laid forward that Indian government officials would be charged or involved in this… nothing has come out to link the Indian government.”

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023 — a killing that ruptured ties between New Delhi and Ottawa after Trudeau’s allegations. India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated” and “baseless”.

The fallout saw diplomats withdrawn, visa restrictions imposed and consulates shut for nearly two years. After Mark

Carney became Canada’s Prime Minister last May, both sides worked to insulate bilateral ties from the Nijjar investigation, reinstating envoys, lifting visa curbs and setting a new trade target.

A separate US indictment had earlier linked Nijjar’s killing to the attempted murder of Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, through intercepted communications and shared targets. In February, Indian national Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in US federal court to murder-for-hire and conspiracy charges in the Pannun plot.

The US indictment on Tuesday said Bishnoi ordered the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar, referred to as “HSN” in court documents. While Bishnoi is lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail, the FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Satinder Singh alias Goldy Brar and is likely to seek Bishnoi’s extradition.

In all, 37 people were charged in the indictment. Those arrested in the US — 11 in California, one each in Indiana and Georgia — were expected to make initial court appearances later Wednesday. Ten fugitives are being sought, including seven in the US, two in India, one in Europe.

The DoJ noted an indictment is merely an allegation: “All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” If convicted, many of the 37 face a mandatory minimum of 10 years, up to life imprisonment.

The action follows a years-long investigation into Indian crime syndicates engaged in racketeering, targeted killings, extortion and narcotics trafficking whose impact is felt especially in the Indian diaspora, the DoJ said.

“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 US Attorney Bill Essayli. “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,” he said.

It is believed that law enforcement agencies in India also collaborated with the investigators on the case.

According to the US DoJ, Bishnoi had delegated control to trusted lieutenants: Brar as North American leader; Rohit Godara (37), of Rajasthan as European leader; and, Sukhraj Singh Kang (58) of Punjab. They extorted victims via WhatsApp and other encrypted apps by threatening violence against them or their families, the DoJ said. Canada designated the Bishnoi enterprise a terrorist entity in September 2025.

The RCMP said in a statement: “Today, together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Los Angeles, we announced several arrests and charges against the leaders of three global organised crime networks: Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. These groups have been engaged in extortions, drug trafficking, kidnapping and widespread violence — namely the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar — in Canada and the United States.”

The statement said that the RCMP “played a pivotal role in today’s outcomes”, calling it “a big moment” for the force “and for public safety in Canada, the United States and around the world”. The arrests and search warrants worldwide were the result of “combined efforts of Canadian and American law enforcement over the past two years,” the RCMP said.

While most of the arrests occurred in the US, three individuals from British Columbia were taken into custody on Provisional Arrest Warrants, with extradition to follow even as three search warrants were executed in West Vancouver, White Rock and Surrey.

“Tuesday’s coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organisations that have terrorised families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the US and abroad,” said Patrick Grandy, FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director-in-Charge.

The second gang, run by Bhagwanpuria, had 17 members charged with murder-for-hire, drug and weapons trafficking, kidnapping and extortion in the US and Canada.

This group corrupted law enforcement officers in India and partnered with corrupt government officials, including to assist in extortion schemes, the DoJ said while referring to the case of Punjab Police officer Gurinderjit Singh, who allegedly engaged in extortion activities on behalf of the gang.

The indictment charged the gang run by Dhanda of Vancouver, and 10 others, with running a drug distribution network smuggling bulk cocaine and methamphetamine to trafficking organisations in the US, Canada and Mexico.