Goldy Brar: US federal prosecutors have detailed how jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly ran a transnational crime syndicate from an Indian prison, with lieutenant Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, executing operations across North America, in a sweeping indictment under “Operation Hard Ball.”
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A Syndicate Directed From A Jail Cell
According to the indictment filed in Los Angeles, Bishnoi, imprisoned in Sabarmati Central Jail since 2015, used contraband cellphones and internet-calling devices smuggled into his cell to direct “political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes” worldwide.
Goldy Brar’s Role
Prosecutors allege Brar, operating out of Canada, effectively spoke for Bishnoi and helped run the enterprise’s day-to-day operations across the US and Canada, directing associates and members involved in violent acts including targeted killings and drug trafficking. The FBI has since added Brar to its Most Wanted list, offering a $50,000 reward.
From Student Politics To Global Crime
The indictment traces Bishnoi’s transformation from a Punjab University student leader in the early 2010s into a criminal organiser, alleging he “refashioned his associates and followers into a criminal organisation” after abandoning campus politics.
Linked To High-Profile Killings
The syndicate has been tied to several major cases, including the 2022 murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala and the 2023 killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Court documents also allege the group stole 520 kilograms of cocaine from rival trafficking networks in the Los Angeles area.
Operation Hard Ball marks the first time US prosecutors have formally charged the rival Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria syndicates for operating on American soil, with 24 people arrested globally. The case underscores how prison walls have failed to stop the network’s international reach, raising fresh questions about smuggled-phone security inside Indian jails.
