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An international law enforcement operation targeting Indian organised crime networks has resulted in 24 arrests linked to allegations of racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion and drug trafficking, United States officials said Tuesday.
The coordinated operation involved investigators from the United States, Canada and several European countries, who worked together to dismantle criminal groups accused of running transnational operations across multiple continents.
US authorities said dozens of individuals have been charged as part of the investigation, including two alleged gang leaders who continued directing their criminal networks from prisons in India. Authorities said all but 10 of those charged are currently in custody.
“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said.
Among the cases unveiled in the indictments is the 2023 killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist and supporter of the Khalistan separatist movement, which advocates for an independent Sikh homeland.
US officials allege that Lawrence Bishnoi, a 33-year-old from Punjab, India, ordered Nijjar’s killing while inside an Indian prison. Bishnoi’s organisation has been designated as a terrorist entity by Canadian authorities.
Investigators said Bishnoi publicly portrayed himself as a religious patriot, using that image to attract recruits and expand his network. However, officials allege that behind the public image, he controlled a criminal organisation involved in political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking and human smuggling across several countries.
Another key figure charged is Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 38, also from Punjab, whom authorities describe as a former associate and later rival of Bishnoi. Prosecutors allege Bhagwanpuria established his own criminal network with more than 1,000 members operating across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Bhagwanpuria and 16 others face charges connected to alleged crimes, including murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, kidnapping, weapons trafficking and extortion.
Authorities also charged Ravinder Singh Dhanda, 57, of Vancouver, Canada, in connection with an alleged drug smuggling operation accused of moving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from the United States into Canada each week.
“Today’s coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organisations that have terrorised families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the US and abroad,” Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said.
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue efforts to disrupt the networks and prosecute those accused of leading or supporting the criminal enterprises.
