Gangster Nitish Kaushal arrested in US after FBI listing.
US authorities said those charged, including Nitish Kaushal, face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
- Kaushal was arrested in Vermont by US law enforcement after being wanted in a RICO case.
- He is accused of helping a transnational gang involved in kidnapping, extortion, drugs and weapons trafficking.
- The Bhagwanpuria gang reportedly has more than 1,000 members and associates globally.
- US authorities say the gang has a significant presence in the US and other countries.
- The case carries a potential sentence ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.
- A Punjab police officer has also been accused of helping the gang extort a Los Angeles family.
A major arrest in the US has brought renewed attention to the global reach of Punjab-linked organised crime networks. Nitish Kaushal, identified as an associate of the Bhagwanpuria gang, was arrested by US law enforcement in Vermont, according to the FBI’s announcement on Thursday. The arrest comes only weeks after 15 members of three organised crime groups with India links were taken into custody in the United States during Operation Hard Ball, a wide-ranging enforcement drive that has sharply raised pressure on transnational gang networks.
Kaushal was among 11 people who had either remained fugitives or were not yet in US custody out of the 34 individuals charged in connection with the activities of the Bishnoi, Bhagwanpuria and Dhanda crime groups. A federal 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, better known as RICO.
The FBI described Kaushal as wanted for alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization linked to murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling. Investigators say the group, known as the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group, began in Punjab and later expanded its operations into the Central District of California and other parts of the US. The bureau also alleged that Kaushal took part in violent acts for the group, including kidnappings and assaults.
The charges carry serious consequences. Most of the people indicted, including Kaushal, could face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and, in some cases, a possible life sentence. The scale of the case reflects how US authorities are increasingly treating gang-linked violence and cross-border criminal activity as a national and international security issue rather than isolated local crime.
According to the US Justice Department, the Bhagwanpuria gang was formed in Punjab under the leadership of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is now 38 and currently imprisoned in India. Bhagwanpuria was once associated with Lawrence Bishnoi before becoming a rival, and that split has become part of a wider and violent criminal landscape that has drawn sustained law-enforcement scrutiny. Operation Hard Ball itself focused heavily on the Bishnoi network, but the Bhagwanpuria and Dhanda groups were also pulled into the same dragnet.
US authorities say the Bhagwanpuria gang has grown into a sprawling criminal structure with more than 1,000 members and associates around the world, including over 100 in the United States. Its reach reportedly extends beyond India and North America to Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, showing how these networks have evolved into a diasporic threat.
The group has also been accused of working with corrupt law enforcement officials in India to extort money from victims. In one striking case, Punjab police officer Gurinderjit Singh has been accused of acting as an associate of the gang and helping demand about $400,000 from a Los Angeles-based family. That allegation has added another layer of concern, suggesting the gang’s influence may extend into official systems as well as criminal circles.
The arrest is another sign that US authorities are widening their crackdown on India-linked organised crime, especially networks that operate across borders and use violence, intimidation and money flows to stay active.