‘No Indian govt official was involved in Nijjar killing’: US FBI, Canada launch major crackdown on Goldy Brar, Lawrence Bishnoi gangs

The Canadian Police on Wednesday (8th July) debunked the allegations levelled by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linking the Indian government with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Speaking to CBC News, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Deputy Commissioner, Lisa Moreland, said that there is no evidence linking the Indian government with the killing of Nijjar. “There is no evidence to suggest that through this organised crime syndicate investigation and the charges laid forward that Indian government officials would be charged or involved in this….nothing has come out to link the Indian government,” Deputy Commissioner Moreland told the Canadian TV channel. No Indian Govt official link found in Nijjar killing, Canadan AuthoritiesVdo ctsy: CBC News pic.twitter.com/F8gYzn3Gab— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) July 8, 2026 Moreland’s statement comes after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed three indictments on Tuesday, in which Lawrence Bishnoi was identified as responsible for Nijjar’s killing. According to an unsealed federal indictment, Lawrence Bishnoi, head of the Bishnoi criminal gang, ordered the killing of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, three years ago, on June 18, 2023. The DOJ has also charged Lawrence’s aides Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, Rohit Godara, and Sukhraj Singh Kang. The #FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Satinderjeet Singh, #wanted for his alleged involvement in the Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group which is allegedly engaged in a variety of violent acts in Southern California, and across… pic.twitter.com/BdCxmELUKv— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) July 7, 2026 “…Bishnoi presided over a sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents. Using contraband cellphones and other voice-over internet protocol devices smuggled into his jail cell, Bishnoi personally directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes committed by members and associates of the Bishnoi enterprise worldwide,” stated the press release by the DOJ. “To help manage the enterprise’s day-to-day operations, Bishnoi delegated control to trusted lieutenants and regional leaders of the enterprise. These lieutenants and regional leaders included Satinderjeet Singh, 32, a.k.a. “Goldy Brar”, of Punjab, India, the North American leader of the Bishnoi enterprise, Rohit Godara, 37, of Rajasthan, India, the European leader of the Bishnoi enterprise, and Sukhraj Singh Kang, 58, of Punjab, India,” the press release added. Operation Hard Ball against organised crime Law enforcement authorities in the United States, Canada and Europe have launched a major crackdown on organised criminal gangs operating in their respective regions. The law enforcement authorities have arrested 24 defendants, 11 of whom are in California, allegedly connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups. The arrestees have been charged with a litany of criminal acts, including the killing of Nijjar. “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. As part of Operation "Hard Ball," the FBI and our law enforcement partners throughout California, other U.S. cities and in Canada, India and Europe collaborated to execute dozens of search and arrest warrants targeting 37 members of violent transnational organizations who are… pic.twitter.com/WXIOk6vALU— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) July 7, 2026 The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said that a federal investigation, under the label of ‘Operation Hard Ball’, has been going on 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 whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora. “In total, 37 defendants, including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India, are charged across three indictments unsealed today. 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,” the press release said. Law enforcement partners in the United States, Canada, and Europe have arrested 24 defendants – 11 of them in California – connected to three India-based transnational organized crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including the assassination in Canada in 2023 of… pic.twitter.com/a8akzEuxt5— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) July 7, 2026 According to the press release, the law enforcement agencies are looking for 10 fugitives, out of whom seven are in the US, two are in India, and one is in Europe. During the investigation, the agencies seized around 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin along with $40,000 in cash and a dozen firearms. “A total of 23 search warrants have been executed in the Sacramento area, and 11 warrants have been executed in the Los Angeles area,” the DOJ said. India-Canada ties strained after Trudeau’s baseless allegations Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey in June 2023, after which Trudeau claimed, without evidence, that the Indian government had a role in his killing. Trudeau’s unfounded claims had strained the diplomatic relations between India and Canada. The Indian government had dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”. In the wake of Trudeau’s allegations, India had recalled its High Commissioner to Canada, following which the Trudeau government asked 6 Indian diplomats to leave the country. In a reciprocal move, New Delhi expelled 6 Canadian diplomats, asking them to leave the country.