Washington: In a massive crackdown against the Indian-origin gangster, the US has charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for ordering the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in November 2023. According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Bishnoi ordered the killing of Nijjar, mentioned as ''H.S.N.'' in court documents, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 three years ago.
What is "Opertation Hardball"?
In a coordinated action named ''Operation Hardball,'' the law enforcement agencies of the US, Canada and Europe arrested 24 persons – 11 of them in California – connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including Nijjar's assassination .
"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," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli told a news conference in Los Angeles.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a Canada-based Khalistan leader who was designated terrorist by India. He served as the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia, and was the chief of the banned outfit Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). He was killed outside gurudwara on June 18, 2023.
(Hardeep Singh Nijjar | CREDIT: REUTERS)
The killing of Nijjar soured bilateral relations between India and Canada as then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to link the government in New Delhi to the murder. India rejected the claims as "absurd and motivated."
Why did US agency carry out a massive raid against the Bishnoi gang?
The current action is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes around the world whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora.
(Credit: Reuters)
In total, 37 defendants – including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India – were charged across three indictments unsealed on Tuesday.
Those arrested in the United States – besides the 11 in California, one was nabbed in Indiana, and one in Georgia – are expected to make their initial appearances today in federal court. Three defendants were arrested in Canada, one defendant was arrested in Spain, and seven defendants were already in custody.
Big bounty for Goldy Barar
The agencies are looking for 10 fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe. Bishnoi is already in jail in India, while his aide, Goldy Brar, is still at large. "Today's (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, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. The FBI has announced a bounty of USD 50,000 against Brar.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said the agencies disrupted the operations of "organised criminals who used murder, cruelty and fear to extort and control people in both Canada and the United States. "We won't pause for long to reflect on the work it took to get this job done – we'll keep doing what we do best to preserve public safety in Canada, in the United States, and around the world," Duheme said.
(With inputs from agency)
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