US authorities have indicted Lawrence Bishnoi, the leader of the notorious Indian criminal group Bishnoi Gang, in connection with the murder case of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
According to authorities, Lawrence Bishnoi and his childhood friend Satinder Jeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, are accused of planning Nijjar’s killing in Canada in 2023. Bishnoi is currently in prison, while Satinder Jeet Singh has not yet been arrested.
According to the indictment, Bishnoi issued operational instructions from an Indian prison through smuggled mobile phones and provided an associate with Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s photograph and multiple addresses.
US Attorney Bill Essayli said at a press conference on Tuesday that the indictment was part of a major international operation in which agencies from the United States, Canada, and Europe jointly arrested 37 suspects.
He added that the suspects allegedly belong to three Indian criminal networks involved in crimes including kidnapping, extortion, arms and drug trafficking, and murder.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also attended the press conference.
Patrick Grandi, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said the groups had promoted “violence, fear, and instability” within the East Indian community in California and other areas.
Authorities said the search for 10 wanted suspects is still ongoing, including one believed to be in Europe, seven in the United States, and two in India.
It is worth noting that relations between Canada and India deteriorated following the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said there were “credible allegations” of a possible link between the Indian government and Nijjar’s assassination.
