FBI Hunts Leader Of India-Based Gang Tied To Assassination, SoCal Violence: Officials

LOS ANGELES, CA — A suspected leader of a transnational organized crime group accused of assassinations, extortion and drug trafficking in Southern California and abroad has been added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, authorities announced Monday.

Satinderjeet Singh, also known as "Goldy Brar," is wanted on federal racketeering, extortion and drug trafficking charges filed in Los Angeles, according to the FBI. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his arrest.

Singh is accused of serving as a leader in North America for the Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group, an India-based organization federal prosecutors say has carried out killings, shootings, kidnappings, extortion, assaults and narcotics and weapons trafficking in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere.

"Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, is a dangerous individual, and the FBI and our partners have made it our priority to apprehend him," Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement.

He is known to reside in California and parts of Canada, authorities said.

The charges against Singh stem from Operation Hardball, a yearslong federal investigation into three India-based transnational organized crime groups accused of targeting members of Indian diaspora communities.

Federal prosecutors announced in July that 37 defendants had been charged across three indictments. At the time, 24 defendants had been arrested or were already in custody.

The FBI said Monday that authorities have since captured four additional fugitives and determined that another is dead. Five defendants remain wanted, including Singh, Major Singh, Sukhraj Singh Kang, No Name Given Kamal and Gurpreet Singh.

One of the indictments centers on an alleged criminal enterprise headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, of Punjab, India. Bishnoi has been imprisoned in India but is accused of having continued to direct the organization through contraband cellphones and other electronic devices, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors claim Singh was one of Bishnoi's trusted lieutenants, spoke on his behalf and helped direct members and associates around the world.

Among the crimes alleged in the indictment a June 18, 2023, assassination of a victim identified by authorities as "H.S.N."

The initials apparently refer to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Indian political and religious leader who was gunned down on that day outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, CBS News reported.

Prosecutors claim Bishnoi and Singh ordered the killing, which was carried out by two gunmen.

The indictment also claims the group attempted to extort victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, including a demand for $5 million.

From March 2024 through July 2025, the organization is also accused of stealing about 520 kilograms — roughly 1,146 pounds — of cocaine from rival drug trafficking groups in the greater Los Angeles area.

The broader Operation Hardball investigation led to the seizure of more than 2,000 pounds of cocaine, more than a pound of heroin, cash and a dozen firearms. Authorities also executed dozens of search warrants in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas.

Canada designated the Bishnoi organization as a terrorist entity last year, according to the FBI.

Federal authorities said the organization cultivated fear through violence and publicized its criminal activity online as part of efforts to intimidate and extort victims.

Anyone with information about Singh's whereabouts is urged to call the FBI at 800-225-5324, contact a local FBI office or U.S. embassy or consulate, or submit a tip online.

The FBI warned members of the public not to approach Singh and to contact law enforcement instead.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with assistance from other domestic and international law enforcement agencies.