The United States will seek the extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi, who is accused of ordering the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Nijjar in Canada and involvement in several other crimes in America, an official confirmed on Sunday.
Official Confirmation of Extradition Request
The US Department of Justice will also seek the extradition of Gurinderjit Singh Nagra for his involvement in a USD 4,00,000 extortion case in the US. According to the official, Nagra allegedly worked in concert with the Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gangs to target families based in the US.
Hardeep Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 18, 2023. The US has also charged Bishnoi's aide Goldy Brar with ordering Nijjar's assassination, and the FBI has announced a USD 50,000 reward for information leading to Brar's arrest.
Response from US Attorney's Office
Ciaran McEvoy, Public Affairs Officer at the US Attorney's Office, Central District of California, responded in the affirmative to questions about the extradition of Bishnoi and Nagra but did not elaborate. In an e-mail response to PTI, McEvoy stated, "Yes. Beyond that, we have no additional comment."
International Crackdown on Transnational Crime
Earlier this week, in a joint operation, law-enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe arrested 24 people, 11 of them in California, connected with three India-based transnational organised crime groups. These groups were charged with a litany of criminal acts as part of the US Department of Justice's Operation Hardball.
In total, the US Department of Justice charged 37 people in the indictment as part of Operation Hardball, which targeted these organized crime networks operating across multiple countries.
