US indictment, Canadian police findings match our stand on gang networks: India

India has reiterated its commitment to collaborating with international partners, including Canada and the United States, to combat terrorism and transnational organized crime. The statement comes in the wake of US authorities indicting gangster Lawrence Bishnoi for the 2023 assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

An investigation, code-named Operation Hard Ball, led by law enforcement agencies from the US, Canada, and Europe, resulted in charges against Bishnoi and his associate Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for allegedly orchestrating Nijjar's killing. The operation also led to the arrest of twenty-four individuals linked to three India-based transnational criminal gangs.

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India remains committed to working with our partners in combating terrorism and trans-national organised crime through close law enforcement and security cooperation.

Notably, Royal Canadian Mounted Police deputy commissioner Lisa Moreland stated that evidence gathered did not implicate Indian officials or the Indian government in Nijjar's death. This finding contrasts with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's earlier allegations. India's external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal affirmed that these findings are consistent with the US indictment, which attributes responsibility to members of the Lawrence Bishnoi organized crime group.

Jaiswal emphasized India's consistent position on the serious threat posed by transnational organized crime, terrorism, narco-trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal firearms trafficking. He highlighted the strong and deepening cooperation between Indian and US agencies in combating these issues, noting that their collaboration has been effective over the years.

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Our agencies on both sides, here in India and those in the US, have been working closely over the years and this cooperation continues to strengthen and deepen.