Los Angeles [US], July 8 (ANI): Gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar are among those charged in the United States for allegedly orchestrating the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada, three years ago, as per an official statement issued by the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors here also announced that 24 people linked to 'India-based organised crime groups' with charges of violent crimes, extortion plots, and international narcotics trafficking have been arrested in an operation named 'Operation Hard Ball' carried out in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and a total of 37 defendants have been charged in three federal indictments.

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated that a total of three transnational syndicates have been targeted by federal agencies.

The federal prosecutors in a statement said, 'Bishnoi and Brar are charged with ordering this assassination, which occurred when two gunmen shot and killed H.S.N. as he left a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.'

The indictment stated, 'Enterprise routinely targeted prominent religious, social, and political leaders with violence, and used these high-profile acts to terrorise and extort members of the community. For instance, in November 2023, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for a separate shooting that occurred at the Vancouver, Canada, residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer, and warned in the Punjabi language in a Facebook post, 'no one can save you from us.'

Federal prosecutors have also levelled allegations against gangsters -- Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Singh Dhanda in separate cases.

According to the indictment, 'Dhanda operated a drug distribution network that provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico,' the statement issued by the US Attorney's Office stated.

'Bhagwanpuria gang operates as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India with members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand,' they added.

Cocaine and firearms were seized as part of Operation Hard Ball, officials said.

The officials concluded, 'An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.'

Following the killing of Nijjar, the then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 18, 2023, had alleged that they had 'credible intelligence' that Indian agents were involved in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Canada the same year. Later in October 2024, he said that police had 'clear and compelling evidence' to back the allegations. India rejected the claims made by Ottawa.

The tensions led to a diplomatic standoff, with India and Canada each expelling six diplomats in a tit-for-tat move. Relations have since improved under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Ottawa signalling that it no longer links India to criminal activities on Canadian soil. (ANI)