How 'Operation Hard Ball' Busted Western Narrative On Khalistani Terror & India-Based Jail Gangs | Exclusive Details

Last Updated:July 08, 2026, 16:27 IST

Behind this global syndicate lies a deeper, more sinister architecture managed by Islamabad

In a massive geopolitical and intelligence twist, a sweeping international law enforcement crackdown has completely dismantled the multi-year narrative pushed by Western media and Canadian leadership against Indian security agencies. Codenamed Operation Hard Ball, the joint investigation led by the US Department of Justice and the FBI has unmasked the true face behind extrajudicial assassinations on foreign soil. The federal indictments explicitly reveal that these operations were not orchestrated by Indian state actors but were instead a sophisticated, commercial subcontracting nexus run by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), utilising notorious India-based jail gangs for Western Khalistani operations.

For nearly three years, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aggressively accused Indian agencies of planning targeted hits on foreign soil, most notably the June 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. However, the newly unsealed US Department of Justice indictments have turned that narrative on its head. The US federal prosecutors have specifically named jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his North American lieutenant, Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, as the actual masterminds who ordered the assassination, mapped the logistics, and provided the weapons.

Behind this global syndicate lies a deeper, more sinister architecture managed by Islamabad. Pakistan’s ISI has been providing a safe sanctuary, logistics, and strategic direction to pro-Khalistan terrorist commanders sheltered in Lahore, such as Babbar Khalsa International’s (BKI) Harwinder Singh Rinda and Lakhbir Singh Landa. Acting as the puppet masters in the ISI’s age-old strategy to destabilise Punjab, these Pakistan-based terrorists have actively outsourced operational tasks to domestic Indian gangs. Gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, constantly on the lookout for massive financial injections and high-tech weaponry, have willingly stepped in as the boots on the ground.

This lethal logistics pipeline is not entirely new to Indian intelligence. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had previously proved that the Bishnoi gang supplied the foot soldiers for the audacious 2022 Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. That strike was directly ordered by the ISI-backed BKI network operating from Pakistan, showcasing how seamlessly local criminals could transition into executing high-level terrorist operations.

Furthermore, over the last few years, Punjab has witnessed a series of targeted killings aimed at sowing communal discord. High-profile assassinations have targeted local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, Hindu outfit leaders, Shiv Sena activists, and Dera Sacha Sauda followers—including the brutal November 2022 murder of Pradeep Kumar. Indian intelligence reports have conclusively proved that these local hits were deliberately assigned to regional criminal syndicates like Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria to give Pakistan a shield of plausible deniability and save it from direct international blowback.

The financial engine fuelling this transnational nexus is equally staggering. These groups generate billions of dollars through the Surrey-based Ricky Dhanda drug cartel, moving massive shipments of narcotics across the highly sensitive US-Canada border. This drug money is supplemented by the aggressive extortion of wealthy non-resident Indian (NRI) businessmen, prominent Punjabi singers, and international kabaddi leagues. Once collected, this immense cash flow is laundered through international channels and routed back to purchase sophisticated, military-grade hardware—including automated weapons and RPGs—to be deployed inside India.

The landmark Mohali investigation completely shifted the paradigm of how India views domestic organised crime. The NIA’s findings conclusively proved that the traditional line between a common gangster and a hardline terrorist has completely evaporated. Gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi are no longer merely fighting over local protection rackets or regional turf wars. By accepting cross-border funding, sophisticated weaponry, and guarantees of safe passage from ISI-backed Khalistani groups, these jail-based gangs have effectively transformed into outsourced mercenary modules designed entirely to bleed India from within and terrorise the diaspora abroad.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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