The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has confirmed that it intends to seek the extradition of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from India following a federal indictment accusing him of orchestrating the 2023 assassination of Canada-based Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to officials from the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the extradition process will be initiated, although it is expected to be lengthy and could take several years.
Bishnoi, who has been in custody in India since 2015 and is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail, was among the key accused named in an indictment unsealed in Los Angeles earlier this week. US authorities allege that he ordered the killing of Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
The indictment is part of a wider investigation into three India-based transnational organised crime groups accused of racketeering, targeted killings, extortion, drug trafficking and other criminal activities across multiple countries.
Besides Bishnoi, the charges also name his close aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria—currently lodged in an Assam jail—and Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda as alleged leaders of the criminal network.
Also read: Nijjar murder case: FBI announces $50,000 reward for Goldy Brar
The DoJ said members of the Bishnoi gang have not yet been arraigned before US courts as they remain outside American jurisdiction. Proceedings involving associates linked to Dhanda and Bhagwanpuria are tentatively scheduled in a Los Angeles court later this year, though officials indicated those dates are likely to be postponed.
The FBI has also announced a reward of USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Goldy Brar, who remains at large. Brar faces charges including racketeering conspiracy, extortion and drug trafficking, with investigators alleging he oversaw the Bishnoi network's operations in North America.
US prosecutors said the arrests and charges stem from Operation Hardball, a coordinated law enforcement initiative involving agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe that resulted in 24 arrests and charges against 37 individuals linked to transnational organised crime.
The Nijjar killing triggered a major diplomatic rift between India and Canada after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged possible links between Indian government agents and the murder. India strongly rejected the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated."
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