The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced charges against jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associate Goldy Brar, accusing them of orchestrating the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023. The charges place Bishnoi at the center of an extensive FBI-led investigation targeting international organized crime.
These indictments fall under "Operation Hard Ball," a multi-year effort to dismantle criminal syndicates allegedly involved in a wide range of illicit activities, including murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses across several countries. Authorities have executed over 50 search warrants and made arrests in California, Indiana, Georgia, Canada, and Spain as part of this operation.
The DOJ revealed that 37 defendants have been charged across three separate federal indictments, all linked to organized crime groups with ties to India. Of these, 24 individuals have been apprehended, while 10 remain at large.
Bishnoi Accused of Directing Global Enterprise from Prison
One of the indictments specifically targets Lawrence Bishnoi, alleging that he directed a vast global criminal enterprise from his prison cell in India. Prosecutors claim Bishnoi utilized contraband mobile phones and internet-based communication devices to oversee a network responsible for political assassinations, murders, kidnappings, extortion, drug trafficking, and human smuggling across multiple international borders.
Goldy Brar has been identified by prosecutors as the syndicate's leader in North America, while Rohit Godara is alleged to manage operations in Europe. Both men are accused of coordinating the organization's activities outside of India. The Bishnoi enterprise reportedly used violence to intimidate victims, particularly within Indian diaspora communities, and leveraged social media to promote its criminal reputation.
Funding Through International Drug Trafficking
The criminal network allegedly financed its operations through international cocaine trafficking and extortion. Prosecutors state that gang members used encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp to threaten victims, demanding millions of dollars and issuing warnings of violence against them and their families. Investigators also claim the syndicate stole cocaine shipments from rival trafficking groups and facilitated narcotics smuggling between the United States and Canada.
The indictment explicitly states that Bishnoi and Brar ordered the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which took place outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Nijjar's killing previously triggered a significant diplomatic dispute after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly linked Indian government agents to the murder, a claim New Delhi vehemently denied as unfounded.