International Operation Targets India-Based Criminal Networks… Arrests in Canada Bring Nijjar Case Back to the Spotlight

U.S. and Canadian authorities have announced a major international operation targeting three India-based transnational organized crime networks, with charges against 37 defendants and 24 arrests across the United States, Canada and Europe. The operation, known as Operation Hard Ball, includes allegations linked to murder-for-hire, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking and firearms offences.

The case has drawn particular attention in Canada because prosecutors say one of the indictments is connected to the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh activist who was shot outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the charges target networks linked to Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Singh Dhanda. U.S. authorities allege that some leaders continued directing criminal activity from inside prisons in India, using smuggled phones and outside associates to coordinate operations across borders.

In the indictment connected to Nijjar’s killing, U.S. prosecutors allege that Lawrence Bishnoi, who is imprisoned in India, and Satinderjeet Singh, also known as “Goldy Brar,” ordered the assassination. Reuters reported that the indictment says Bishnoi allegedly directed the operation from jail using smuggled cellphones, while Singh was described as a key figure in the group’s North American operations.

The RCMP said the joint operation targeted the leadership of organized crime groups connected to Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme described the operation as an important moment for public safety in Canada and internationally, saying authorities were targeting leadership structures and criminal networks accused of terrorizing and extorting communities.

In Canada, three men in British Columbia were arrested and charged as part of the wider crackdown. Global News reported that the arrests were connected to an FBI-led investigation involving law enforcement in the United States, Canada and Europe, and linked to three India-based transnational organized crime groups.

The investigation goes beyond the Nijjar case. Authorities say the wider operation exposed alleged criminal activity involving large-scale drug trafficking, extortion schemes, targeted violence and weapons movement across borders. Officers also seized about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, cash and firearms.

The Nijjar killing has remained one of the most sensitive cases in Canada-India relations. After the assassination, Canada publicly raised allegations of a possible link to Indian government agents, which India strongly denied. Reuters noted that the new U.S. indictment does not allege a role by the Indian government in the killing.

For Canadian authorities, the case also raises domestic security concerns beyond diplomacy. The RCMP and FBI have framed the operation as a response to transnational organized crime affecting communities through extortion, shootings, drug trafficking and intimidation, especially in areas where South Asian communities have reported rising fears over gang-linked violence.

The charges remain allegations and have not been proven in court. The U.S. Department of Justice stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.