In the run-up to Operation Hardball, US law enforcement officials held several meetings with multiple central agencies in India, where they shared and verified information on gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, Rohit Godara, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and their associates. Indian agencies, through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), also shared a list of gangsters based in the US and other foreign countries, along with evidence. The meetings gained pace over the last one-and-a-half months, before the coordinated crackdown by law enforcement agencies in the US, Canada and Europe.
The deportation of gangster Anmol Bishnoi from the US in November last year is believed to have improved coordination between India’s central agencies and US law enforcement agencies. In their recent meetings, the central agencies shared and verified with US officials a list of associates of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar, along with details of their possible hideouts. The information was gathered through disclosures made by arrested associates and technical surveillance.
US officials also visited the NIA headquarters in Delhi last year, sharing concerns about alleged links between Indian-origin gangsters and US drug cartels. Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in a jail in Gujarat, has been linked to multiple crimes, including the killings of NCP leader Baba Siddique and singer Sidhu Moosewala, as well as threats against actor Salman Khan. Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, another target of Operation Hardball, is lodged in a jail in Assam.
Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, however, remain absconding. According to agencies, Goldy Brar, an aide of Lawrence Bishnoi, is suspected to be working with Azerbaijan-based Rohit Godara. Lawrence Bishnoi is now associated with Canada-based Noni Rana and US-based Harry Boxer.
Investigations have revealed that these US-based gangsters were in touch with Pakistan-based smugglers for bringing huge quantities of narcotics into India and for targeted killings. They have been using advanced methods, including drones and VPNs, to mask their locations and encrypt communication, making it difficult to track them.
