US files charges against Indian crime boss in assassination that strained Canada-India ties
US Files Charges Against Indian Crime Boss in Nijjar Case
New Indictment Targets Bishnoi and Singh
US files charges against Indian crime leaders Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh in a major federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles. The legal document names Bishnoi, the imprisoned head of a powerful Indian criminal syndicate, and his North American lieutenant Singh—who is also known by the alias “Goldy Brar”—as the masterminds behind the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. This high-profile killing inside Canadian territory had already strained diplomatic relations between Ottawa and New Delhi before the new charges were filed.
The court filing reveals that Bishnoi and Singh allegedly coordinated the fatal shooting of Nijjar outside a Sikh place of worship in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb in British Columbia. The attack took place on June 18, 2023. According to the indictment, Bishnoi directed the operation from inside an Indian prison cell, using smuggled mobile phones to maintain contact with his network. The document further states that Bishnoi provided a co-conspirator with a photograph and multiple addresses belonging to Nijjar to facilitate the successful execution of the murder.
Singh, described as a childhood friend of Bishnoi, is accused of managing the North American operations of the “Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group.” The US indictment explicitly clarifies that neither First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli nor any other official at the Los Angeles press conference indicated that the Indian government participated in or knew about the assassination. This distinction is significant given the earlier diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Diplomatic Crisis and Government Positions
Nijjar’s death triggered a major diplomatic crisis between Canada and India. Several months after the incident, then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that Canadian authorities were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder. New Delhi quickly rejected these claims as baseless and unreasonable.
The current US indictment charging Bishnoi and Singh does not allege any Indian government involvement in the assassination. Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen, had been a prominent advocate for Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland separate from India. New Delhi had previously labeled Nijjar as a terrorist and kept him imprisoned. Canada now maintains that Nijjar continues to organize terror activities from behind bars.
Wider Investigation and Evolving Relations
The charges against Bishnoi and Singh form just one part of a broader investigation led jointly by US and Canadian law enforcement agencies. This extensive probe ultimately resulted in charges against 37 defendants connected to three India-based organized crime syndicates. The charges covered racketeering, extortion, and drug trafficking violations. Officials reported that 24 of these defendants had either been taken into custody or were already detained when the announcement was made.
Canadian police arrested and charged four Indian nationals in May 2024 related to Nijjar’s death. These officials have stated they are investigating whether these individuals have ties to the Indian government. The US indictment does not name the actual shooters as defendants, instead referring to them collectively as co-conspirators.
Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi have demonstrated improvement under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney visited India in February for his first official trip and began discussions about a trade agreement expected to be completed by November. Nevertheless, this diplomatic warming has encountered resistance from certain Sikh organizations. These groups have criticized the Canadian government for failing to sufficiently hold India accountable or protect Sikh Canadians from foreign interference and transnational repression.
