FBI places Indian national Kamal on most wanted list over alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang links

WASHINGTON: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday placed Indian national Kamal on its Most Wanted list over his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organisation known as the Lawrence Bishnoi Organised Crime Group, the agency said.

According to the FBI, the group allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion and operated in the Central District of California and elsewhere. The FBI said on its official website that Kamal is wanted for his alleged involvement in the criminal organisation.

“No Name Given Kamal is wanted for his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization engaged in conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion. This organization, The Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group, originated in the Punjab state of India and operated in the Central District of California and elsewhere,” the notification read.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Kamal on July 1, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles after he was charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion.

No Name Given Kamal is #wanted by the #FBI for his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization known as The Lawrence Bishnoi Organized Crime Group. The group allegedly engaged in conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion, and operated in the Central… pic.twitter.com/fC58IUeufq

— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) August 20, 2026

The latest action comes amid an intensified US crackdown on India-linked transnational organised crime groups under Operation Hard Ball. Earlier, the FBI had placed Indian nationals Major Singh and Nitish Kaushal on its Most Wanted list over their alleged links to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organised Crime Group.

According to the FBI, the Bhagwanpuria group originated in Punjab, India, and operated in the Central District of California and elsewhere. The agency has alleged that the group was involved in murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling.

On July 30, the FBI also placed Indian national Amritpal Singh on its Most Wanted list over his alleged involvement in the Ravinder Dhanda Organised Crime Group, a transnational network based in Vancouver, Canada. The FBI alleged that the Dhanda group trafficked substantial quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine for drug trafficking organisations operating across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Earlier on July 23, the FBI announced the arrest of Indian national Harmanveer Singh in Stockton, California, over his alleged involvement in drug trafficking operations linked to the Ravinder Dhanda gang. The arrest was part of Operation Hard Ball, a joint international crackdown targeting syndicates associated with Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Dhanda.

The US Department of Justice has charged 37 people in connection with “Operation Hard Ball”, while 24 individuals linked to the three transnational organised crime syndicates were arrested in a coordinated operation earlier this month, including 11 in California. (ANI)