Amid fresh raids and a $50,000 reward from the FBI in the US, the new focus is on Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associate Goldie Brar.
On Tuesday, the United States accused Bishnoi and his aide, Satyinderjit Singh, known as Goldie Brar, of ordering the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nagar. Carpenter, identified in official court documents as “HSN”, was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada on June 18, 2023.
The killing of Al-Najjar led to turmoil in diplomatic relations between India and Canada, especially after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible allegations” of the Indian government’s involvement in the killing.
Hardeep Singh Nigar has been identified as a Sikh Canadian citizen by Canada, but has been designated as an extremist and terrorist by the Indian government.
24 people were arrested across the United States, Canada and Europe
In a coordinated operation called “Operation Hardball,” law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe arrested a total of 24 people — 13 in the United States, three in Canada and one from Spain — linked to three India-based transnational organized crime groups — the Bishnoi, Bhagwanpuria and Dhanda gang, according to the FBI. Simultaneously with this arrest, the manhunt for Bishnoi’s aide, Julie Brar, was also launched.
In the United States, 11 people were arrested in California, one in Indiana, and one from Georgia.
Read also | 24 people with links to India-based gangs have been arrested in the US, Canada and Europe
Despite the mass arrest, the agencies are still hunting 10 other fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.
$50,000 reward for Brar during the chase
The search for Goldie Brar is still ongoing, with the FBI offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
“The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Satinderjit Singh, who is wanted for his alleged involvement in the Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group, which is allegedly involved in a variety of acts of violence in Southern California, and throughout the United States and Canada,” the statement from the federal agency said.
Brar was charged with “Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Interfere and Attempt to Interfere with Commerce by Racketeering; and Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.”
