Goldy Brar’s listing follows Operation Hard Ball, a US-led multinational crackdown that resulted in 24 arrests and federal charges against 37 alleged members of three India-based organised crime networks.
BY PC Bureau
September 29: Satinderjeet Singh, better known as Goldy Brar, has been placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, with US authorities offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his arrest.
The FBI added Brar to the list on September 28, making him the 543rd fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list since its creation in 1950. US authorities describe him as armed and dangerous and have warned the public not to approach him.
Brar is wanted in the United States for alleged racketeering, extortion and narcotics offences. Prosecutors say he was the North American leader of the Lawrence Bishnoi organised crime group, allegedly helping run its operations while Bishnoi was imprisoned in India.
The FBI says Brar and Bishnoi are accused of ordering the June 2023 killing of a prominent Indian political and religious figure in Canada, identified in US court documents as “H.S.N.” The description corresponds to Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.
The allegations form part of a much larger US investigation known as Operation Hard Ball, a years-long multinational investigation into three India-based transnational organised crime groups.
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A man wanted for a variety of federal violations—including murder, extortion, and drug distribution—has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Satinderjeet Singh (also known as Goldy Brar, among other aliases) is wanted for his alleged involvement in the… pic.twitter.com/AUyxi6vJFR
— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) September 28, 2026
What is Operation Hard Ball?
Operation Hard Ball became public on July 7, 2026, when the US Justice Department announced the unsealing of three federal indictments charging 37 defendants. The operation resulted in 24 arrests across the United States, Canada and Europe, including 11 arrests in California. Seven defendants were already in custody, while US authorities said 10 remained fugitives.
The investigation targeted three separate India-based criminal organisations:
- The Lawrence Bishnoi enterprise
- The Jaggu Bhagwanpuria enterprise
- The Ravinder Singh Dhanda network
US prosecutors allege that the organisations were involved in varying combinations of murder-for-hire, targeted killings, shootings, kidnappings, extortion, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and other transnational crimes. The investigation focused particularly on criminal activity affecting the Indian diaspora in North America and elsewhere.
The scale of the operation was substantial. Authorities said they seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, $40,000 in cash and 12 firearms. Investigators also executed 23 search warrants in the Sacramento area and 11 in Los Angeles.
The Bishnoi indictment
The indictment against Bishnoi and his associates is particularly significant because US prosecutors allege that the gang was being directed internationally from inside an Indian prison.
According to the indictment, Bishnoi allegedly used contraband mobile phones and voice-over-internet devices to communicate with associates and direct criminal activity. Brar, identified as the group’s North American leader, allegedly acted as one of Bishnoi’s principal lieutenants.
Prosecutors allege that the organisation used violence and threats to build a reputation that could then be exploited for extortion. They also allege that members used WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging services to threaten victims and their families.
One example cited by prosecutors involves an alleged demand for $5 million from victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks in December 2025 and January 2026.
The indictment also alleges that Bishnoi and Brar oversaw the movement of 49 kilograms of cocaine intercepted in California in November 2024, while the wider Bishnoi enterprise allegedly stole approximately 520 kilograms of cocaine from rival trafficking organisations in the greater Los Angeles area between March 2024 and July 2025.
Nijjar killing becomes part of US case
The most politically sensitive allegation is the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey on June 18, 2023.
US prosecutors allege that Bishnoi and Brar ordered the assassination of the Punjab-born figure, who was living in Canada. The indictment does not name him directly, instead identifying him as “H.S.N.”
Nijjar’s killing had already become a major diplomatic issue between India and Canada after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian intelligence was investigating possible links between the killing and Indian government agents. India rejected the allegation as absurd and has denied involvement.
The American case is separate from those diplomatic allegations. It is a federal criminal prosecution against alleged members of the Bishnoi organisation, and the charges remain allegations unless established in court.
The other two networks
The second indictment targets the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organisation, which prosecutors describe as an international criminal enterprise with more than 1,000 members and associates worldwide and more than 100 in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that the group was involved in murder-for-hire, kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and firearms offences. They also allege that some members exploited corrupt officials and police officers in India to initiate false criminal cases against rivals or people who were cooperating with law enforcement.
The third indictment concerns a network led by Ravinder Singh Dhanda, which US prosecutors accuse of moving large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine from the Los Angeles region through the United States and into Canada.
According to the indictment, the network used long-haul trucks, and sometimes farm vehicles, to conceal narcotics. Prosecutors specifically allege that 430.1 kilograms of cocaine were shipped between July 2023 and November 2024.
A genuinely international operation
Operation Hard Ball was not solely an FBI operation. The investigation involved the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and US Customs and Border Protection, with assistance from the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, ATF and other US agencies.
International cooperation extended to law-enforcement agencies in Canada, Spain and India, among others. The FBI said its legal attaché offices in New Delhi, Mexico City, Madrid and Ottawa also assisted the investigation.
The operation therefore represents a significant shift in the way US authorities are treating India-based organised crime: not simply as a collection of individual criminal cases, but as transnational networks operating across India, North America, Europe and other jurisdictions.
Brar’s subsequent placement on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list has elevated that campaign further. The FBI says five fugitives from the original Operation Hard Ball crackdown remain sought, including Brar, Major Singh, Sukhraj Singh Kang, Kamal and Gurpreet Singh.
The FBI and its partners are asking anyone with information about Brar’s whereabouts to contact law enforcement. Authorities have specifically warned the public against attempting to confront or approach him.
