Punjab gang suspect tried to escape to Canada, claims FBI

Washington, July 18 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The FBI arrested alleged Punjab gang member Nitish Kaushal less than a mile from the Canadian border after he allegedly spent days evading federal agents, abandoned a mobile phone being tracked by investigators and attempted to conceal his identity with a false New Jersey driver’s licence, according to newly filed US court documents.

Kaushal, an Indian national also known by the alias “Lala”, was arrested on July 16 in Alburgh, Vermont, after becoming one of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives. Federal prosecutors have now asked a court to keep him behind bars pending trial, arguing that he poses both a danger to the community and a serious flight risk.

The new filings, copies of which were obtained by IANS, provide the first detailed account of the circumstances surrounding Kaushal’s arrest and expand on allegations that he was part of a sprawling transnational organised crime syndicate with roots in Punjab accused of murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, firearms trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling.

According to prosecutors, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted Kaushal on June 25 on a charge of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. Authorities attempted to arrest him on July 7 but were unsuccessful.

The detention motion alleges that after the indictment was unsealed, Kaushal abandoned the mobile phone that investigators had been tracking pursuant to a court-authorised warrant and disappeared, prompting the FBI to place him on its Most Wanted list.

Prosecutors allege Kaushal was arrested on July 16 within one mile of the Canadian border after abandoning a vehicle “just feet” from the border. The filing further states that Canadian law enforcement spotted an individual travelling on foot in Canada before Kaushal was identified again later that morning in Vermont. The filing does not state that the individual seen in Canada was conclusively identified as Kaushal.

According to court documents, a Vermont resident reported seeing a suspicious man on home security cameras looking inside a vehicle and entering a barn. When US Border Patrol agents later encountered Kaushal, prosecutors allege he presented a New Jersey driver’s licence bearing another person’s name.

The government says fingerprint analysis established his true identity and that Kaushal admitted the licence did not belong to him. Prosecutors also included photographs comparing a distinctive lion tattoo documented during the investigation with the tattoo visible after his arrest.

The 44-page federal indictment, a copy of which was obtained by IANS, alleges that Kaushal was one of 15 defendants charged in what prosecutors describe as the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organised Crime Group, a transnational criminal enterprise headquartered in India with operations spanning the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the indictment, the organisation originated in Punjab under the leadership of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who prosecutors allege was once associated with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi before establishing a rival criminal network. Prosecutors allege the organisation expanded internationally and grew to include more than 1,000 members and associates worldwide, including more than 100 in the United States.

The indictment alleges the organisation generated revenue through murder-for-hire contracts, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, firearms trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling. Prosecutors say members used violence to eliminate rivals, intimidate victims and protect the organisation’s criminal operations.

Kaushal is specifically accused of carrying out acts of violence on behalf of the organisation.

One of the principal allegations against him concerns an incident on July 10, 2024.

According to the indictment, members of the organisation believed a man had stolen a drug shipment belonging to the gang. Prosecutors allege an associate lured the victim to a residence in Manteca, California, where Kaushal, Amritpal Singh Bal, Harshpreet Singh and Amarbir Singh restrained him.

The indictment further alleges that Kaushal and Harshpreet Singh assaulted the victim before Kaushal, Bal and Amarbir Singh transported him to an apartment in Fresno. Prosecutors say the victim was held while gang members demanded $50,000, claiming it represented compensation for a stolen drug shipment. The indictment alleges Jaggu Bhagwanpuria later ordered the victim’s release to resolve an internal dispute within the organisation.

The court filing also alleges that the organisation managed large-scale cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking routes across the United States, moving shipments of 100 kilograms or more from Southern California to the eastern United States and the US-Canada border. Prosecutors allege the gang also accepted murder-for-hire contracts, stole narcotics from rival organisations and used violence against those suspected of stealing drug consignments.

The newly filed detention motion also provides additional details about Kaushal’s background. Prosecutors allege he entered the United States illegally through Yuma, Arizona, in 2022. They further state that he was charged in 2023 with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and weapons offences, but was ultimately convicted of a firearms offence and sentenced to 60 days in custody. The filing also alleges he had a misdemeanor drug case in 2026.

Federal prosecutors argue that the seriousness of the charges, the strength of the government’s evidence and the circumstances surrounding Kaushal’s arrest demonstrate that no conditions of release would reasonably assure either public safety or his appearance in court. They contend he became a fugitive after the indictment, attempted to evade law enforcement and had both the means and incentive to flee the United States.

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