New Delhi: Eight days after arresting eight men of Indian origin for violent crimes in America, US authorities held a press conference on 18 July, where they said that this could not be the only group operating and appealed to people from the Indian community to come forward if they had any information on similar crimes.
At the joint press conference held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, and the District Attorney’s Office, San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow said, “Let’s not be naive. This is not just the only group.”
Authorities also urged the Indian and Punjabi-American community living in America to stay vigilant and inform them about any suspicious activity. They added that they would continue to investigate the activities of the gang of the 8 arrested in connection with a gang-related kidnapping and torture case in Stockton city of California. They now face life in prison. Officials said that there has been an alarming rise in organised criminal activity especially involving the Punjabi diaspora.
The arrests come in the backdrop of shots being fired at comedian Kapil Sharma’s newly opened restaurant in Canada’s Surrey. Since 2024, Punjabi celebrities like A.P. Dhillon and Gippy Grewal were targeted after the heat was turned on Indian gangsters like Goldy Brar and Anmol Bishnoi, youngest brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, in the US and Canada. “Lawrence personally coordinates criminal activities of his violent gang from his jail cell in India, exploiting communities in the US, Canada, India and abroad with murder violence and extortion,” Patel said. “These are really bad people.”
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Wanted in India
The eight men arrested include the Babbar Khalsa International-linked Pavittar Singh Batala, wanted by the National Investigation Agency in India. “The leader of this gang and the target of this investigation, Pavittar Singh, is wanted in India for charges including firearms violations, assaults, and multiple murders,” said Sid Patel, Special Agent with the FBI Sacramento Field Office.
According to the authorities, the group had been operating in California’s Central Valley for several years, allegedly engaging in a wide range of violent crimes, including hijacking 18-wheelers at gunpoint. “In this case, torture. In other cases, it could be bribing politicians overseas. It could be extortion, firearms, and weapons trafficking,” said Patel.
Batala has been wanted in India by the National Investigation Agency for carrying out terror activities. He has been involved in a series of criminal cases including extortion, arms smuggling and murder. Batala is wanted in six cases in Amritsar and two in Batala police district.
Patel added that the FBI is coordinating with partners in India and Canada to apprehend individuals involved in similar activities.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)