Canadian and American law enforcement officials have announced major allegations involving racketeering, extortion and murder against three crime groups with alleged links to India.
The accusations include connections to violent incidents in Canada, an extortion crisis affecting communities in Ontario and British Columbia, and the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.
Lawrence Bishnoi Group Named in Allegations
One of the groups identified by authorities is allegedly led by jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Officials say Bishnoi has continued to run the group from inside an Indian jail, where he has been imprisoned since 2015.
The group is accused of being connected to incidents tied to extortion cases in Canadian communities and to Nijjar’s assassination in British Columbia.
Operation Hard Ball Announced
The law enforcement action is known as Operation Hard Ball.
FBI Los Angeles assistant director Patrick Grandy appeared alongside RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme to announce the operation.
Grandy described the action as a major blow against three violent transnational organizations accused of terrorizing families, exploiting communities and taking lives.
Questions Remain About Canadian Operations
Although the indictment is significant, it also leaves several unanswered questions.
The report says investigators and journalists have spent months reviewing criminal cases, attending deportation hearings and interviewing victims to better understand the gang’s alleged activities in Canada.
Those alleged activities include threats, auto fraud, cricket fixing and other criminal operations.
Who Was Targeted in Operation Hard Ball?
Operation Hard Ball targeted 37 defendants, including Lawrence Bishnoi.
Authorities describe the case as a joint FBI and RCMP law enforcement action focused on alleged transnational criminal networks.
Unsealed indictments outline charges against three separate groups.
Three Crime Groups Named
The first group is the Bishnoi Organized Crime Group, also referred to as the Bishnoi OCG.
The second group is allegedly led by another imprisoned Indian national, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria.
The third is described as an alleged drug trafficking operation led by Ravinder Singh Dhanda of British Columbia.
Operation Hard Ball marks a major joint effort by Canadian and U.S. authorities to confront alleged Indian-linked transnational crime networks.
The indictments connect three groups to serious accusations, including extortion, racketeering, murder, drug trafficking and violence affecting Canadian communities.
While officials are presenting the operation as a major breakthrough, questions remain about the full scope of Bishnoi’s alleged influence and operations in Canada.