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FBI $50,000 reward for Goldy Brar, fresh raids: Why Lawrence Bishnoi gang is back in focus
The Lawrence Bishnoi Gang, and his aide Goldy Brar have been charged with ordering the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Amid fresh raids and a $50,000 reward by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US, a fresh focus is on Indian gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide, Goldy Brar.
The US on Tuesday charged Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar with ordering the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, who has been mentioned as ‘HSN’ in official court documents, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada's British Colombia on June 18, 2023.
Nijjar's killing resulted in the upheaval of diplomatic ties between India and Canada, especially after the then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in the killing.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was identified as a Canadian Sikh citizen by Canada, but had been designated a Khalistani extremist and terrorist by the Indian government.
24 arrested across US, Canada and Europe
In a coordinated action named 'Operation Hardball,' the law enforcement agencies of the US, Canada and Europe arrested a total of 24 persons – 13 in the US, three in Canada and one from Spain - connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups — Bishnoi, Bhagwanpuria and Dhanda gang, according to the FBI. Along with this arrest, the manhunt for Bishnoi's aide, Goly Brar, has also been launched.
In the US, 11 were arrested in California, one was nabbed in Indiana, and one from Georgia.
Also Read | 24 people with links to India-based gangs arrested in US, Canada, Europe
Despite the mass arrest, the agencies are still on the hunt for 10 other fugitives – seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.
$50k reward for Brar amid manhunt
The hunt for Goldy Brar remains active, with the FBI offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
"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 the United States and Canada," read the statement issued by the federal agency.
Brar has been charged with "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Interfere and Attempted Interference with Commerce by Extortion; and Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances."
