Three indictments, 37 names and a rare admission of Indian cooperation, tracing the case from Sidhu Moosewala’s killing to last week’s global raids
What Is Operation Hard Ball?
On July 7, 2026, police in the US, Canada and Europe launched a massive joint crackdown called Operation Hard Ball. It was led by the FBI, working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and European authorities. In one day, 24 people were arrested and raids were carried out at more than 50 locations. Police seized around 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and heroin, along with guns and cash.
Alongside the raids, US prosecutors unsealed three separate court cases naming 37 people in total. These cases target three crime groups with roots in India: the gang run by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, a drug-smuggling ring run by Ravinder Singh Dhanda, and a rival syndicate led by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Canadian Justice Minister Sean Fraser, quoted in Outlook, called it “an extraordinary day,” one meant to send a message to the crime bosses running these networks.
Here is how the case built up to this point.
The Moosewala Murder That Started It All
Lawrence Bishnoi, now 33, has been in jail in India since the mid-2010s. But investigators say he never stopped running his gang from behind bars, allegedly directing killings, kidnappings and extortion using smuggled phones and internet-calling apps. In 2022, he became a household name in India after orchestrating the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala, once his rival. Prosecutors say Bishnoi also built a public image as a religious nationalist on social media to help recruit new members.
The Nijjar Assassination in Canada
In June 2023, Bishnoi’s reach allegedly extended into Canada. Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia. US prosecutors now say Bishnoi ordered the killing, working with his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh, better known as Goldy Brar, who runs the gang’s North American operations. Brar is still on the run, and the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for his arrest.
Trudeau’s Allegation Freezes Ties
That September, the killing turned into a diplomatic crisis. Then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged that agents of the Indian government were involved in the murder. India rejected the claim as baseless, and relations between the two countries have remained tense since.
Canada Brands Bishnoi’s Gang a Terrorist Group
Canada escalated further in September 2025, officially designating the Bishnoi enterprise a terrorist entity, the same legal category as the Taliban and ISIS under Canadian law. This gave Canadian agencies more legal tools to share intelligence with other countries.
A Murder in Punjab, and a Frame Job
The gang’s reach inside India resurfaced in January 2026, when Balwinder Singh was murdered in Punjab. According to the US indictment, cited by The Wire, members of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s rival gang used a corrupt Punjab Police inspector, Gurinderjit Singh, to falsely blame the victim’s own overseas family members for the murder, allegedly to extort them using the threat of a fake case.
The Scheme Widens to California
By April 2026, prosecutors allege, the plot grew further. A Bhagwanpuria gang member based in Stockton, California, is said to have used the same corrupt police contact to frame the victim’s relatives. If proven, this shows how deep these gangs had infiltrated Indian law enforcement.
The Inspector Speaks, Then Gets Transferred
On May 24, 2026, the accused inspector, Gurinderjit Singh, held a press conference in Punjab to deny any wrongdoing. He has since been moved out of his post as Station House Officer in Hoshiarpur district and shifted to police lines.
India’s Cooperation, Confirmed for the First Time
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Lisa Moreland confirmed, as reported by Outlook, something New Delhi had never officially admitted before: that Indian agencies had cooperated with the investigation. She said the operation found no evidence that Indian officials were involved in any of the crimes charged. Canada’s own separate investigation into the Nijjar killing has also reportedly found no direct evidence linking Indian government officials to the shooting itself.
What Comes Next for Bishnoi?
Bishnoi now faces formal extradition proceedings to the US, expected to be slow given the scale of the charges and lingering diplomatic sensitivities. Separately, his brother Anmol Bishnoi remains wanted in India over the murder of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, and Mumbai Police’s efforts to extradite him from the US are likely to speed up after this case.
Canadian officials have repeatedly raised one question this case doesn’t settle: whether elements within the Indian state had any hand in directing violence linked to the Bishnoi network. Investigators say they found no evidence of that here. New Delhi has consistently rejected any such suggestion as unsubstantiated.
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