United States federal prosecutors have charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his associate Satinderjeet Singh, known as Goldy Brar, with orchestrating the June 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. The indictment, unsealed in Los Angeles, forms part of “Operation Hard Ball,” a coordinated law enforcement action across the United States, Canada, and Europe that resulted in 24 arrests and 37 defendants charged across three indictments targeting transnational organised crime networks. US Attorney Bill Essayli said the groups had “fuelled violence, fear and instability” within diaspora communities, while the FBI separately announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar’s arrest.

Viewed from Washington, the operation demonstrates a commitment to dismantling foreign criminal enterprises operating on American soil, with the FBI emphasising that there is “no safe harbor for these thugs.” Canadian officials, including the RCMP, described the crackdown as disrupting networks that used murder and extortion to control communities in both countries. Sikh community representatives in Canada, while welcoming the arrests as “very positive,” cautioned that the Indian government’s alleged links to such groups should not be underestimated. The US indictment, however, makes no allegation of Indian state involvement in Nijjar’s killing, a point underscored by prosecutors in Los Angeles. Indian authorities have consistently rejected earlier Canadian accusations of complicity, and the charges against Bishnoi and Brar focus solely on the criminal enterprise.

The operation seized approximately 1,000 kg of cocaine and a dozen firearms, and targeted not only the Bishnoi network but also the Bhagwanpuria syndicate and a drug-trafficking ring allegedly run by Ravinder Singh Dhanda, which moved hundreds of kilograms of narcotics weekly from California into Canada. The indictment alleges that Bishnoi directed the assassination from prison using smuggled phones, providing a photograph and addresses of Nijjar to co-conspirators. The formal attribution of the high-profile killing to a criminal network, rather than to state actors, removes a central irritant from Canada-India relations, which had plunged after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged “credible” Indian government involvement in 2023.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who advocated for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan, was designated a terrorist by India and was wanted there at the time of his death. His killing triggered tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between Ottawa and New Delhi. Under Prime Minister Mark Carney, bilateral ties have since improved, with trade talks resuming. The Bishnoi enterprise was designated a terrorist entity by Canada in September 2025. Of the 37 defendants, ten remain fugitives, including Brar and two individuals believed to be in India. Legal proceedings are expected to commence in US federal court, while Canadian and European authorities continue to pursue related investigations. The FBI’s reward offer signals that the manhunt for Brar remains active.