US federal authorities have unsealed indictments charging 37 defendants tied to three India-based organized crime syndicates, including the Bishnoi gang, in a sweeping transnational prosecution announced on Monday. Twenty-four suspects were arrested across the United States, Canada, and Europe, while ten fugitives remain at large in the US, India, and Europe.
Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh Brar are accused of ordering the 2023 assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a British Columbia temple. Prosecutors allege Bishnoi directed killings, extortions, and drug trafficking from an Indian prison using smuggled cellphones, and that some defendants exploited ties with corrupt Indian officials to target rivals.
The operation also targeted the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group and the Dhanda Drug Trafficking Organization. Authorities seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, firearms, and cash.