US authorities on Tuesday charged Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his alleged North American deputy Satinderjeet Singh with orchestrating the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

The high-profile killing in 2023 had severely strained the diplomatic relationship between Canada and India at the time.

The charges were part of a sweeping international law enforcement operation involving agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe that charged 37 alleged members of three India-linked crime syndicates accused of kidnappings, racketeering, extortion, arms trafficking, drug smuggling and murder, US Attorney Bill Essayli said at a news conference.

"Working together, law enforcement in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate," Essayli said.

All but 10 of the people charged are now in custody. According to US officials, two of the people ran their global criminal syndicates while in prison in India.

Bishnoi, described as "India's most notorious gangster," has been in jail in India since 2015. Singh is believed to be on the run.

The federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles said that Bishnoi and Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, ordered Nijjar's shooting outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was a proponent of the "Khalistan Movement," which calls for a Sikh homeland by carving out an ethno-religious state in the Punjab region of India, and had been designated a terrorist by New Delhi.

Canadian police had previously charged four Indian nationals in connection with Nijjar's killing.

A major diplomatic fallout occurred after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canadian authorities were "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to the murder. India had refuted the allegations.

Source: www.dw.com