India news: US to seek Lawrence Bishnoi's extradition
Skip next section US to seek Lawrence Bishnoi's extradition over Nijjar killing 07/12/2026 July 12, 2026 US to seek Lawrence Bishnoi's extradition over Nijjar killing
Skip next section US to seek Lawrence Bishnoi's extradition over Nijjar killing 07/12/2026 July 12, 2026 US to seek Lawrence Bishnoi's extradition over Nijjar killing Bishnoi (right) seen here being escorted by officers at a court in New Delhi [FILE: April 2023] Image: Rahul Singh/ANI/Handout via REUTERS Days after charging gangster Lawrence Bishnoi with orchestrating the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that it will seek his extradition.
Bishnoi, whose criminal organisation is designated a terrorist enterprise in Canada, is charged with ordering the killing from his cell. The high-profile killing in 2023 had severely strained the diplomatic relationship between Canada and India at the time. Last week, the US DOJ charged 37 people in the indictment as part of its "Operation Hardball" — a coordinated international operation involving the US, Canada and Europe.
The operation led to the arrest of 24 people linked to three Indian crime syndicates with transnational networks. Besides Bishnoi and his aide Goldy Brar, the other gang leaders who have been named in the US indictment are Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is lodged in an Assam jail, and Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda, according to a report by Indian newspaper The Indian Express.
Bishnoi and Brar have been charged with ordering Nijjar's assassination. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar's arrest.
The BriefWire