An international operation against Indian organised crime groups has led to 24 arrests, US officials said on Tuesday, including in connection with the assassination in Canada of a prominent Sikh figure.
The sting involved law enforcement officials operating in the United States, Canada and Europe, who had together been probing crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion and drug trafficking.
Dozens of people have been charged, including two who US officials say ran their global criminal syndicates while in prison in India. All but 10 of them are now in custody.
“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli.
Among the crimes alleged in indictments unveiled Tuesday is the 2023 killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent campaigner for “Khalistan” —a separatist movement that seeks an independent homeland for Sikhs.
