US announces $50,000 reward on Goldy Brar

Washington DC: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Wednesday announced a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, who is wanted for his alleged involvement in the Lawrence Bishnoi Organised Crime Group.In a post on X, the FBI said, "The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Satinderjeet Singh, wanted for his alleged involvement in the Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group which is allegedly engaged in a variety of violent acts in Southern California, and across the United States and Canada."Also read: Rajasthan government orders three-layer drug testing after tragedyFBI Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar is based in the United States and is the alleged leader of the Group in North America."On July 1, 2026, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Singh in the United States District Court, Central District of California, Los Angeles, California, after he was charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Interfere and Attempted Interference with Commerce by Extortion; and Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances," the federal agency said in a statement.The agency said Singh has ties to Sacramento and Fresno in California, as well as Canada, India and Mexico.The latest development comes hours after US federal prosecutors charged gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar with allegedly orchestrating the assassination of Khalistseparatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.According to the US Department of Justice, Bishnoi and Brar were among 37 defendants charged in three federal indictments as part of "Operation Hard Ball", a coordinated crackdown targeting India-based organised crime groups allegedly involved in violent crimes, extortion and international narcotics trafficking.Federal prosecutors alleged that Bishnoi and Brar ordered Nijjar's assassination, in which two gunmen allegedly shot and killed him outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.The indictments also named other alleged organised crime figures, including Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Singh Dhanda.

Prosecutors alleged that Dhanda operated an international drug distribution network, while the Bhagwanpuria gang functioned as a transnational criminal syndicate with members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.The US authorities said cocaine and firearms were seized during Operation Hard Ball.The Department of Justice noted that "an indictment is merely an allegation" and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.The charges come against the backdrop of diplomatic tensions that followed Nijjar's killing.

Then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged that there was credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the killing.

India rejected the allegations.

Relations between the two countries have since improved under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Ottawa signalling that it no longer links India to criminal activities on Canadian soil. ...