Punjab-based Bhagwanpuria gang associate Nitish Kaushal was arrested by US law enforcement authorities in Vermont, announced the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday. The arrest takes place weeks after 15 members of three organised crime groups with links to India were arrested in the US in an operation known as Operation Hard Ball.
Details
Of the 34 individuals charged by US authorities in connection with the activities of the Bishnoi, Bhagwanpuria and Dhanda organised crime groups, Kaushal was one of the 11 who were either fugitives or not in the custody of US authorities. An arrest warrant was issued for him on June 25 in the US District Court for the Central District of California after he was charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Conspiracy (RICO).
“Kaushal is wanted for his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization engaged in, among other things, acts involving murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering, and human smuggling. This organization, known as the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group (the “Bhagwanpuria OCG”), originated in the Punjab state of India and operated in the Central District of California and elsewhere. Kaushal is alleged to have carried out acts of violence on behalf of the Bhagwanpuria OCG, including, but not limited to, kidnappings and assaults,” the FBI noted on its website.
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Most of the individuals charged by US authorities – including Kaushal – could face “a mandatory minimum prison sentence between 10 years in federal prison and life imprisonment, and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.”
According to the US Justice Department, the Bhagwanpuria gang originated in Punjab under the leadership of 38-year Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is currently imprisoned in India. Bhagwanpuria is a former associate turned rival of Lawrence Bishnoi, whose gang was a central focus of the arrests in Operation Hard Ball. US authorities stated that the Bhagwanpuria gang now accounts for over 1000 members and associates globally with more than 100 those present in the United States. Besides this, the group is also considered to be active in Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Also Read: 15 arrested in Operation Hard Ball were living illegally in US; gang recruiters targeted visa applicants
Notably, the Bhagwanpuria gang stands accused of working with corrupt law enforcement officials in India to extort funds from victims. In a key case, Punjab police officer Gurinderjit Singh is charged with working as an associate of the gang to demand roughly $400,000 from a Los Angeles based family.
