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“The transnationalization of crime can itself be the product of state foreign and migration policies.” -Michael Ahn Paarlberg (2022) The recent targeted killing in Fresno, California, United States (US), linked to transnational Punjabi-oriented Indian gang rivalries, marks a critical new phase in the global expansion of these conflicts. On October 18, 2025, Banwari Godara, an associate of gangster Harry Boxer – a close associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang – was killed, and another person was injured in a shooting at a truck repair yard on 5400 Block, South Cedar Avenue, Fresno. Although no arrests have been made and official details remain undisclosed, the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang publicly claimed responsibility, declaring that Boxer was the intended target and warning Bishnoi gang members of similar consequences, while labelling Bishnoi a “traitor.” In response, Arzoo Bishnoi, a member of the Bishnoi gang, threatened Rohit Godara with retaliation, asserting that Boxer was safe and that their response would come “not with social media posts, but with bullets.” The Fresno incident confirms the split between the Bishnoi gang and Goldy Brar, which began after Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara failed to help Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, secure bail following his November 2024 arrest in California for document forgery. Though Anmol was later released with an ankle tracker, the episode deepened the rift. What began as turf and extortion battles in Punjab and adjoining Indian states spilt over into Canada – currently witnessing a surge in Punjabi gang violence – and has now metastasised into the US and other parts of the world, with criminal-terrorist networks exploiting diaspora links, drug trafficking routes, and social media for operational expansion. On October 21, 2025, Canada, which recently designated the Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity, recorded another targeted attack when Punjabi singer Teji Kahlon was seriously injured outside a private event. Members of the Rohit Godara gang claimed responsibility, accusing him of supporting rival gangs with money, weapons, and information. This incident forms part of a broader pattern of gang-related violence in Canada, including cases of extortion and targeted shootings directed at Indian-origin businesses and cultural figures, such as the three reported shooting attempts on comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Surrey. Bishnoi gang member Randeep Malik aka Randeep Singh, who runs a transport business in the US and is wanted by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), claimed via a Facebook post on September 3, 2025, that he ordered a shooting targeting the hideout of rivals from the Romi King and Prince gang in Odivelas, Lisbon, marking the first major Indian gang conflict in Portugal. Malik was previously briefly detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August 2025. He is also linked to several high-profile cases in India, including grenade attacks in Chandigarh and other violent activities carried out in coordination with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. In recent years, several Punjabi gang leaders, primarily based in the US and other Western countries, have sought to expand their transnational influence. Notably, the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar faction, then operating on behalf of the Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the killing of drug trafficker Sunil Yadav aka Goli – wanted in multiple cases in Rajasthan and allegedly involved in smuggling narcotics into India via Pakistan – in Stockton, California, on December 23, 2024, accusing him of being an informer. Earlier, in April 2024, Goldy Brar had claimed responsibility for the beheading of Ajay Rana, reportedly associated with the Bhupi Rana gang, in Russia; however, there has been no official confirmation regarding the precise location or date of the incident. A January 2025 report indicates that the ongoing rivalry between the Bishnoi-Goldy Brar and Bambiha-Lucky Patial gangs had led to more than 20 killings across multiple locations, primarily within and beyond Indian Punjab, since 2016. US law enforcement, especially in California, has stepped up action against Indian-origin gangs. Under the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s nationwide Summer Heat initiative, eight gangsters, including Pavittar Singh Batala, wanted in India for alleged terror activities and reportedly tied to the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), were arrested, and arms and ammunition seized, on July 11, 2025, in San Joaquin County for kidnapping and torture for extortion. Other arrested members were Dilpreet Singh, Sarbjit Singh, Gurtaj Singh, Amritpall Singh, Vishal Singh, Arshpreet Singh, and Manpreet Randhawa. The FBI reported that the gang engaged in extortion of Indian-American business owners, forced labour, truck cargo hijackings across California’s Central Valley, weapons and drug trafficking, and international political violence. Most of the accused were reportedly associated with the separatist Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), banned in India, highlighting a nexus between pro-Khalistan extremist elements and organised criminal activity in the US. On October 14, 2025, fugitive gangster Amit Sharma, aka Jack Pandit, a key operative of the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang, was arrested in Sacramento, California, following intelligence from the Rajasthan Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) shared with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s Interpol Branch, which issued a Red Corner Notice and alerted US authorities. Pandit managed the gang’s finances, distributed extortion funds abroad via hawala and other illegal channels, provided funding, safe havens and fake documents to fugitives, and was involved in drug trafficking and illegal arms procurement. Another high-profile arrest occurred on April 17, 2025, when Harpreet Singh, aka Happy Passia, wanted by the NIA for multiple grenade attacks in Punjab and linked to BKI, was apprehended. Passia had illegally entered the US in 2021 via a human trafficking network and had been evading capture using burner phones with international codes. NIA had announced a reward of INR 5 lakh for information leading to his arrest. Passia faces approximately 33 criminal cases, including several terrorism-related cases, and is believed to have collaborated with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-linked anti-India criminal and terrorist networks operating from the US. Although several gangsters have been arrested in the US, their extradition has often been delayed, with courts declining deportation in some cases and the process taking considerable time in others, despite repeated requests from Indian law enforcement agencies. In December 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that, over the preceding five years, India submitted 178 extradition requests to various countries, with 65 concerning fugitive criminals currently under consideration by US authorities. Fugitives often exploit these delays, using different avenues to impede efforts for their extradition from these countries. However, in a significant development, on October 25, 2025, Haryana Police arrested wanted fugitive and Bishnoi gang member Lakhvinder Kumar at New Delhi airport following his deportation from the US. He is accused in multiple cases involving extortion, intimidation, illegal possession and use of firearms, and attempted murder in Haryana. A Red Notice against him had been issued by Interpol on October 26, 2024, at the request of the Haryana Police through the CBI. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on February 13, 2025, Indian security agencies shared a list of 12 US-based gangsters with American authorities, including Anmol Bishnoi, Satwinder Singh aka Goldy Brar (designated by India as an individual terrorist), Darmanjot Singh Kahlon aka Darman Kahlon, Amritpal Singh aka Amrit Bal, Harjot Singh, Harbir Singh, Navroop Singh, Swaran Singh aka Fauji, Sahil Kailash Ritoli, Yogesh aka Bobby Beri, Ashu aka Bhanu Pratap Sambhli, and Aman Sambhi. These individuals were reportedly involved in arms smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and terrorism-related activities, with connections to Pakistan-based operatives. Despite the US committing to joint action against organised crime and security threats, their extradition remains pending. Many of these criminals frequently move between the US and Canada, exploiting legal loopholes to evade law enforcement. Notably, Goldy Brar was briefly listed on Canada’s BOLO (Be On the Lookout) Program’s most-wanted list in May 2023, but was removed in April 2024 without any official explanation from Canadian authorities. Most of these Indian gangs operate on a cell-based structure with minimal central leadership, making them resilient to crackdowns but prone to internal rivalries and conflicts. By exploiting community support to seek asylum or resist extradition, many of these gang members end up associating with separatist groups, such as pro-Khalistan outfits, further complicating the situation within the diaspora community. Meanwhile, recruitment from India into these gangs has increased, driven by the lure of lucrative offers. In November 2024, an Indian intelligence officer revealed that gangster Rajesh Kumar, aka Sonu Khatr,i had facilitated the movement of nearly 100 migrants from villages around Punjab’s Nawanshahr region to the US. Sonu Khatri was listed by India’s Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) among the 28 most wanted gangster-terrorist fugitives in April 2023 while operating from Brazil. He is believed to have moved to California in late 2023, continuing to orchestrate targeted killings and gang activities in Punjab and neighbouring states. These fugitive gangsters and criminals frequently exploit vulnerabilities in international border control systems, using forged passports and leveraging corrupt networks to evade security checks. The extensive transnational connections and financial resources of these organised crime syndicates have contributed to a higher success rate in irregular migration, particularly through the so-called “donkey route” to countries such as the US. They also rely on human smuggling networks and fabricated identities, making it increasingly difficult for law enforcement agencies to trace and apprehend them. These gangs also exploit illegal Punjabi migrants within the “trucking ecosystem”, leveraging the strong presence of Punjabi and Sikh communities in the US trucking industry, particularly in California and Texas, to conceal illicit operations. This includes the transport of fentanyl precursors, small arms, drugs, and other contraband through hidden compartments in trucks. Several fugitives wanted in India for terrorism-related offences have gained control over significant segments of the US logistics network. Many of these individuals, often asylum seekers working as truck drivers while their applications are processed, are currently facing charges related to organised crime. Beyond material crime, a disturbing trend is the intersection of these Punjabi gangs with separatist outfits, particularly pro-Khalistan groups. Gangster-terrorist networks exploit asylum systems and diaspora radicalisation, making the law enforcement challenge in the US as much about national security as about organised crime. More concerningly, the June 2025 arrest of Indo-Canadian gangster Opinder Singh Sian, associated with the Brothers Keepers gang, by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has highlighted a growing nexus among Chinese drug cartels, Pakistan’s ISI, and pro-Khalistan networks. Sian was found trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals from China into the US, revealing an increasingly sophisticated collaboration between Khalistani operatives, Pakistani intelligence, Chinese chemical suppliers, and Latin American drug cartels. Investigations also identified approximately 40 Indo-Canadians allegedly supporting this network’s extremist activities in Punjab, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir. In the US, Punjab-oriented gangs remain relatively small, compared to the more powerful and historically entrenched organised crime groups such as Mexican cartels and other national-level syndicates. However, their growing transnational reach and emerging collaborations with domestic criminal-terrorist networks have expanded their operational capacity, posing new challenges for law enforcement agencies to adapt to increasingly dynamic and complex criminal landscapes. For India, the audacity of these gangs in publicly claiming responsibility for killings abroad, including in countries like the US, is a growing concern. The fallout from these overseas gang wars could increasingly impact domestic law enforcement and security, particularly in Punjab and neighbouring states. The spread of Indian gang wars into the US is more than a law enforcement concern as it represents a complex transnational security challenge linking organised crime, terrorism, drug and arms smuggling, and illegal migration. Addressing it requires strategic, multilateral solutions that tackle both the immediate threats and the underlying conditions enabling these networks to flourish. The trajectory that began in Punjab, moved through Canada, and now echoes across American cities, demands vigilance, community trust-building, and policy innovation at the highest levels of national security in all countries involved. Nijeesh N is a research associate at the Institute for Conflict Management. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
