FBI arrests Punjab gangster Nitish Kaushal in Vermont
Nitish Kaushal was arrested by the FBI as part of Operation Hard Ball targeting transnational organized crime. Image credit: @FBIAlbany
New Delhi: The FBI arrested Nitish Kaushal near the US-Canada border in Vermont, days after placing him on its most wanted list on Tuesday. He is accused of being a key member of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organized crime group, a Punjab-based syndicate that US investigators say has expanded into North America.
A federal arrest warrant had been issued against Kaushal by a district court in California on June 25. He was charged with conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
According to the FBI, Kaushal, an Indian national, carried out kidnappings, assaults and other violent crimes on behalf of the network. He had been described by authorities as armed, dangerous and a flight risk.
His arrest came under Operation Hard Ball, a coordinated law enforcement effort led by the FBI and the US justice department targeting India-linked organized crime networks. The operation has led to charges against 37 people and the arrest of 24 suspects across the US, Canada and Spain. Authorities have also seized nearly a tonne of cocaine and heroin, along with firearms and cash.
The operation has also led to charges against jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. US prosecutors accuse Bishnoi of directing extortion, contract killings and drug trafficking from prison in Gujarat, using smuggled mobile phones.
His associate, Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, remains a fugitive. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
One of the indictments makes a new claim: that Bishnoi and Brar were behind the June 2023 killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, who was shot outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. This is a new and separate claim from US prosecutors, distinct from Canada’s earlier, broader allegations linking Nijjar’s killing to the Indian government, which India has consistently rejected.
