Twenty-four people linked to India-based transnational organised crime groups have been arrested in a major international operation carried out by law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe. The authorities announced that the accused were involved in serious crimes such as racketeering, shootings, extortion, drug trafficking and the 2023 assassination of pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Investigators have charged a total of 37 individuals in the case, including jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

The US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles alleged that Lawrence Bishnoi continued to run his criminal network from inside prison in India. According to the indictment, he used contraband mobile phones and internet-based communication devices that were smuggled into his jail cell. The charges also directly accuse Bishnoi and his close associates of ordering the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Authorities carried out the arrests after completing a years-long investigation into organised crime groups with links to India. The operation involved close coordination among law enforcement agencies from several countries.

“Today’s law enforcement action – “Operation Hard Ball” – 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,” said a statement from the US Department of Justice.

Investigators are still searching for 10 fugitives connected to the case. Seven of them are believed to be in the United States, two are in India and one is in Europe.

The indictments mainly focus on the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and its key members, including Goldy Brar. They also target the Punjab-based Bhagwanpuria gang. Investigators said the gang operates from India and has members in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Many of the accused could face severe punishment if convicted. Several defendants may receive a mandatory minimum prison sentence ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. The maximum punishment under federal law is life in prison.

The US Department of Justice alleged that the Bishnoi gang used violence to strengthen its influence in different countries. The agency said the gang created fear, especially in India and among Indian communities living abroad. The indictment also charges Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar with ordering the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Canada on June 18, 2023.

Indian investigators have said that Anmol Bishnoi and Goldy Brar currently manage the gang's operations. Lawrence Bishnoi has been lodged in Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat since August 2023. Anmol Bishnoi was arrested in the United States in 2024. Investigators believe both men handle the gang's international activities while remaining in close contact with Lawrence Bishnoi.

The Bishnoi gang has faced allegations in several high-profile murder cases over the past few years. Authorities have linked the gang to the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala. Investigators also accused the gang of running large-scale extortion operations. The network allegedly targeted celebrities, industrialists, politicians and sportspersons while working with other criminal groups.

“Their syndicate is spread across the states (and union territories) that include Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand and recruitment, payments to gang members, supply of weapons etc is managed from abroad, mostly by Anmol, Goldy Brar and few other close aides of Lawrence,” a law enforcement officer in India told HT.

Investigators in India have also linked the Bishnoi gang with pro-Khalistan groups, including Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Security agencies believe Anmol Bishnoi and Goldy Brar also supervise these activities from outside India.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has described this criminal network as the "new underworld." In a chargesheet filed in March 2023, the NIA said the alliance between gangsters and pro-Khalistani elements follows a pattern similar to the period before the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. The agency said this network has developed links with the music industry, singers, kabaddi players and advocates. The NIA compared these links with the underworld connections that had earlier emerged with business leaders and the film industry.

According to the NIA, Lawrence Bishnoi's gang transfers a large share of its earnings to countries such as Canada, the United States, Thailand and Australia to support its operations. The agency estimated that the gang has around 700 members and has generated crores of rupees through criminal activities over the years. Since August last year, the NIA and Delhi Police have arrested nearly 300 gangsters and mid-level criminals during a wider crackdown on organised crime.

US investigators also accused the Bishnoi gang of international drug trafficking and stealing drug consignments from rival criminal groups. Similar drug trafficking charges have also been filed against members of the Punjab-based Bhagwanpuria gang and another network led by Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda.

“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.

“Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., 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 added.

The latest developments in the case have added another important dimension to the investigation. Canadian authorities said they found no evidence linking Indian government officials to the murder charges related to Hardeep Singh Nijjar that were announced after Operation Hard Ball.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) made the clarification after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led Operation Hard Ball. Speaking to CBC News on Tuesday, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Lisa Moreland declined to answer questions about the earlier allegations made by the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The previous government had claimed there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and Nijjar’s murder. Moreland said she could not comment on that issue while court proceedings against four Indian nationals remain underway.

However, she said, “There is no evidence to suggest through this organised crime investigation and the charges and indictment laid forward that Indian officials were charged or involved in this.” She later repeated her position and stated “firmly” that “nothing has come out today to link the Indian government.”

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