Why did the U.S. indict Lawrence Bishnoi over Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder?

The United States for the first time publicly detailed the alleged role of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his criminal network in a transnational consipiracy that investigators say extend beyond India.

During Operation Hardball, the FBI led a global effort to dismantle the gang, resulting in extensive indictments that revealed the full extent and violent nature of these criminal networks.

Why is Lawrence Bishnoi named?

According to the U.S. indictment unsealed on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), Lawrence Bishnoi is accused of leading a criminal organisation that allegedly carried out murder-for-hire plots, extortion, arms trafficking and other organised crimes across multiple countries.

Although Bishnoi has been jailed in India for years, U.S. authorities allege he continued to direct members of his gang through associates operating in India and abroad.

What do the charges say?

The indictments alleges that the Bishnoi gang engaged in:

• Extortion schemes

• International drug trafficking

• Operating a criminal enterprise that engaged in murder-for-hire

• kidnappings

• weapons trafficking

• Cross-border organised crime

The Bishnoi connection to Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing

The indictment also alleges that members of the Bishnoi gang were involved in the killing of the Khaloistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023.

U.S. investigators allege that Bishnoi’s network provided support for the conspiracy, with gang members helping carry out violent operations outside India.

However, the indictment does not accuse Bishnoi of personally carrying out the operation. Instead, it alleges that his criminal organiation played a role through his associates.

Has Lawrence Bishnoi been charged in the Nijjar muder?

According to the federal indictment, Bishnoi ordered the killing of Nijjar, mentioned as ‘H.S.N.’ in court documents, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

In total, 37 defendants – including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India (Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria) – are charged across three indictments. Those arrested in the United States – 11 in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia – are expected to make their initial appearances today in federal court.

Three defendants have been arrested in Canada, one defendant was arrested in Spain, and seven defendants already were in custody prior to today’s law enforcement operation.

Law enforcement is looking for 10 fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.

If convicted, many of the defendants would face a mandatory minimum prison sentence ranging from 10 years to life, and a statutory maximum of life in federal prison.

Why the U.S. is involved?

The U.S. investigation expanded after authorities discovered the operation of a transnational network across several countries, including the United States, Canada, India and the UAE.

In a coordinated action named ‘Operation Hardball,’ the law enforcement agencies of the U.S., Canada and Europe arrested 24 persons — 11 of them in California — connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including Nijjar’s assassination .

The current action is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes around the world whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora.

The killing of Nijjar soured bilateral relations between India and Canada as then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to link the government in New Delhi to the murder. India rejected the claims as “absurd and motivated.”

(With PTI inputs)