New Delhi [India]: In a major crackdown on the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, alleged operative Garinder Dev has been arrested in France, with the extradition process set to begin.
He will first be taken to Canada before efforts to bring him to India move forward.
According to investigators, Garinder Dev is suspected of supplying weapons used in the firing outside Kapil Sharma's café.
He is also under investigation for alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking. Officials say his exact role will become clearer after questioning.
The development comes days after coordinated raids targeting the Bishnoi gang across the United States, Canada and Europe. Canadian authorities have also initiated extradition proceedings against Jashandeep Singh, an accused in the Kapil Sharma café firing case.
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The latest action signals increasing international cooperation against the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, with law enforcement agencies across multiple countries tightening the net around its alleged members.
Earlier, in a significant development with potential diplomatic implications, the United States has unsealed a sweeping indictment against alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi as part of Operation Hardball, a multinational crackdown targeting transnational organized crime.
According to the indictment, the Bishnoi syndicate allegedly operated an extensive criminal enterprise spanning North America while being directed from Indian prisons. U.S. authorities have accused the network of engaging in drug trafficking, extortion, contract killings, and other violent crimes.
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One of the most notable allegations in the indictment concerns the June 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
The U.S. document alleges that members of the Bishnoi gang orchestrated the assassination, with investigators attributing the conspiracy to the criminal syndicate rather than to the Indian government.
The indictment alleges that Lawrence Bishnoi directed associates to conduct surveillance of Nijjar before the killing. According to investigators, a Canada-based associate of the gang allegedly photographed Nijjar's location, after which gang members carried out the fatal attack.
The case forms part of a broader investigation into organized crime networks operating across international borders.
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Diplomatic Significance
The development is being viewed in India as reinforcing New Delhi's longstanding position that the Nijjar killing was not linked to Indian state agencies.
Notably, the U.S. indictment does not charge or name any Indian government official in connection with the assassination.
The case also comes against the backdrop of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's September 2023 statement in Parliament, in which he said Canada had "credible allegations" linking Indian agents to Nijjar's killing. India had repeatedly rejected those allegations and called on Canada to provide substantive evidence.
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