NEW DELHI: India is committed to working with partners like Canada and the United States to combat terrorism and transnational crime through close law enforcement cooperation, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday while responding to US authorities charging gangster Lawrence Bishnoi with the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nigar.
Following an investigation by law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe, dubbed “Operation Hardball,” US authorities last week charged Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his associate Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldie Brar, on charges of ordering Carpenter’s assassination. In the same case, 24 people linked to three transnational criminal gangs based in India were arrested.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Lisa Moreland told media that evidence collected under Operation Hard Ball did not indicate the involvement of Indian officials or the Indian government in Najjar’s killing. This marks a departure from former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s September 2023 claim that Indian government agents were connected to the killing.
“India remains committed to working with our partners in combating terrorism and transnational organized crime through close law enforcement and security cooperation,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a regular press conference.
Jaiswal was responding to a question about statements made by RCMP Deputy Commissioner, which he said were “consistent with the recently unsealed US indictment, which attributes responsibility to members of the organized crime group Lawrence Bishnoi.”
He also referred to Operation Hard Ball and the US Department of Justice’s announcements of indictments and enforcement actions against transnational organized crime networks operating in several countries, and said: “India has consistently maintained that transnational organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, illicit firearms trafficking and related criminal networks pose a serious threat to our societies.”
Jaiswal said that India and the United States have “strong and effective” cooperation in combating terrorism and transnational organized crime. “Our agencies on both sides, here in India and those in the US, have been working closely over the years and this cooperation continues to strengthen and deepen,” he said.
Najjar was shot dead outside a Surrey temple in June 2023. Months later, Trudeau further worsened bilateral relations when he claimed in the Canadian Parliament that Indian government agents were connected to Najar’s killing. The Indian side rejected the accusation and described it as “ridiculous.”
Both sides expelled each other’s diplomats, reduced consular services and resorted to other punitive measures. India also accused Canada of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate freely from the country’s territory. In October 2024, India summoned its envoy Sanjay Kumar Verma and five other diplomats after Canadian authorities described them as “persons of interest” in the investigation into Al-Najjar’s killing.
The two sides quietly resumed back-channel communications between their security services in late 2024, and relations improved after Liberal Party leader Mark Carney won the April 2025 general election. The two sides appointed new high commissioners in their respective capitals and revived several mechanisms to move relations forward in a number of areas, including trade.
RCMP said Operation Hard Ball proved that the Bishnoi gang was involved in extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping and violence in Canada and elsewhere. Bishnoi has been in an Indian prison since 2015, and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced a reward of $50,000 for anyone who provides information leading to Brar’s arrest.
The US Justice Department said the crackdown on the Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gangs was part of a years-long investigation into Indian crime syndicates involved in targeted killings, shootings, extortion, drug trafficking and other crimes around the world.
