US charges Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar over Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing
United States federal prosecutors have charged India-based gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, for ordering the June 2023 assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The indictment, unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, has renewed international focus on the case, which previously triggered a major diplomatic row in New Delhi.
The charges were brought as part of "Operation Hardball," a coordinated multi-national crackdown targeting India-based transnational organized crime groups. The joint operation by law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe resulted in the arrest of 24 individuals.
According to the federal indictment, Bishnoi ordered the killing of Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Bishnoi is currently imprisoned in India, while Brar remains at large.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli announced the charges at a news conference in Los Angeles, stating that law enforcement agencies across multiple continents are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations.
The assassination of Nijjar significantly strained bilateral relations between India and Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously sought to link the government in New Delhi to the murder, allegations that India rejected as "absurd and motivated."
The U.S. federal investigation revealed that the targeted crime syndicates engage in racketeering, extortion, narcotics trafficking, and targeted killings, particularly affecting the Indian diaspora. In total, 37 defendants were charged across three indictments unsealed on Tuesday.
Among those arrested during the operation, 11 were taken into custody in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia. Additionally, three defendants were arrested in Canada, one in Spain, and seven were already in custody. Law enforcement agencies are currently searching for 10 fugitives, including two in India.
Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, stated that the coordinated operation struck at the heart of three brutal transnational organizations. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme added that the agencies disrupted criminals who used violence and fear to extort and control people.
