Washington: United States prosecutors have charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a prominent gangster currently jailed in India, and his associate Satinderjeet Singh, known as Goldy Brar, with orchestrating the 2023 assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

An indictment opened in a Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday alleges that Bishnoi directed the targeted killing of Nijjar, who is referred to as 'H.S.N.' in judicial records. The shooting occurred outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June three years ago.

The charges emerge from a coordinated international clampdown codenamed 'Operation Hardball'. Law enforcement bodies across the US, Canada, and Europe have apprehended 24 individuals — including 11 detained in California — suspected of being linked to three India-based international organised crime syndicates accused of a wide array of criminal offences, including the assassination of Nijjar.

"Working together, law enforcement in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organisations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbour for these thugs," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said during a Los Angeles news conference.

The fatal shooting of Nijjar significantly damaged diplomatic ties between Canada and India, after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested a potential link between the government in New Delhi and the killing. Indian authorities swiftly dismissed the allegations as "absurd and motivated."

The latest judicial actions follow a multi-year federal probe into Indian criminal syndicates accused of operating transnational rackets involving targeted murders, extortions, shootings, and the large-scale smuggling of narcotics across international borders. Officials noted these activities have severely impacted Indian diaspora communities globally.

Across three separate indictments made public on Tuesday, a total of 37 defendants have been charged. This includes two ringleaders accused of running their international syndicates from inside Indian prison facilities.

Those apprehended within the United States — comprising the 11 individuals caught in California, alongside single arrests in Georgia and Indiana — are scheduled to make their preliminary appearances in a federal court today.

Additionally, three suspects were detained in Canada, one was arrested in Spain, and seven others were already held in prior custody. Law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing 10 remaining fugitives, with seven believed to be in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.

Bishnoi remains incarcerated within India, whilst Brar continues to evade capture.

"Today's coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organisations that have terrorised families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the US and abroad," stated Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme added that authorities had successfully disrupted operations run by "organised criminals who used murder, cruelty and fear to extort and control people in both Canada and the United States."

"We won't pause for long to reflect on the work it took to get this job done – we'll keep doing what we do best to preserve public safety in Canada, in the United States, and around the world," Duheme said.

With inputs from PTI