New Delhi: US-based gangster Goldy Brar has allegedly claimed responsibility for the murder of Khalistan supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in Canada in June 2023. The alleged admission has surfaced through a leaked video of a purported conversation between Brar and Khalistan supporter Paramjit Singh Pamma.
In the leaked conversation, Goldy Brar can allegedly be heard saying that Nijjar was targeted over his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and promoting drug use among young people. Intelligence sources have reportedly confirmed that the voice in the audio belongs to Brar. He is wanted in India in connection with several criminal cases, including the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
In the leaked audio, Brar allegedly says that allegations of Nijjar promoting drugs among teenagers had angered him. The purported admission has brought renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding Nijjar’s killing and to the activities of international organised crime networks.
An investigation conducted under Operation Hardball, a joint US-Canada law-enforcement operation targeting international criminal networks, has also brought renewed attention to the activities of Brar and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. US investigations have alleged links between members of the Bishnoi network and Nijjar’s murder, with the high-profile killing being examined in the broader context of organised crime.
Nijjar, 45, was shot dead on June 18, 2023, in Surrey, British Columbia. His killing triggered a major diplomatic crisis between India and Canada after allegations were made regarding the involvement of Indian agents. India rejected those allegations.
Nijjar had been designated a terrorist by India several years before his death. His activities and alleged links with the pro-Khalistan movement had remained a concern for Indian security agencies.
If the authenticity of the alleged audio recording is independently established, it could add a new dimension to the investigation into Nijjar’s murder by pointing towards a possible organised-crime-related motive.
Indian authorities have been searching for Goldy Brar in connection with several serious criminal cases. He is considered a key figure allegedly linked to international criminal networks, and his reported connections with Lawrence Bishnoi and other organised crime figures are being investigated in India and abroad.
Earlier in July, a senior Canadian law-enforcement official said investigators had found no evidence connecting Indian officials to a US investigation that had accused gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and dozens of other members of three organised crime groups.
The clarification came after US authorities unsealed three federal indictments charging 37 individuals allegedly associated with international criminal organisations with offences including extortion, murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking. The action followed a years-long multinational investigation spanning the United States, Canada and Europe.
