Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar charged in US over Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing | World

The United States has charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist 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.

Notably, Bishnoi is already in jail in India, while his aide Goldy Brar is still at large.

24 people arrested under Operation 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, as per an official statement issued by the Justice Department.

In total, 37 defendants — including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India — are charged across three indictments unsealed. Those arrested in the United States — 11 in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia. Three defendants were arrested in Canada, one defendant was arrested in Spain, and seven defendants were already in custody.

The agencies are looking for 10 fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.

“Working together, law enforcement in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbor for these thugs,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli told a news conference in Los Angeles.

The Canadian government in September 2025 designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing

The killing of Nijjar severely strained ties between India and Canada after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged a possible link between the government in New Delhi and the murder. India strongly rejected the accusation, calling it ‘absurd and motivated.’

The latest action stems from a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates allegedly involved in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, and cross-border trafficking of large quantities of narcotics, among other offences. Investigators said these criminal networks operate across multiple countries, with their activities having a particularly deep impact on the Indian diaspora worldwide.

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Also Read: Delhi court charges Lawrence Bishnoi, 19 others under MCOCA after probe reveals jail-run syndicate network