Leaked Audio Purports to Capture Goldy Brar Claiming Role in Hardeep Singh Nijjar Killing

New Delhi — Fugitive gangster Goldy Brar has purportedly claimed responsibility for the 2023 killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, according to a leaked audio recording of an alleged conversation with Paramjit Singh Pamma.

In the recording, Brar is reportedly heard saying Nijjar was targeted over his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and the promotion of drug abuse among young people. Intelligence sources cited in reports have said the voice in the recording is Brar’s, though the audio has not been independently authenticated.

Brar, who is wanted in India in connection with several criminal cases, including the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, is allegedly heard in the recording saying Nijjar’s purported promotion of drugs among teenagers had angered him.

The recording has surfaced amid renewed scrutiny of Nijjar’s killing and broader investigations into transnational organized crime networks.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. His killing triggered a major diplomatic dispute between India and Canada after Canadian authorities alleged a possible link between Indian government agents and the assassination. India has denied those allegations.

Nijjar had been designated a terrorist by India before his death over his alleged involvement in the Khalistan separatist movement.

The latest audio, if independently verified, could add a possible gang-related motive to the investigation into Nijjar’s killing.

Brar has been sought by Indian authorities in connection with multiple serious criminal cases and is considered a prominent figure in transnational gang networks. His alleged ties to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and other organized crime figures have also been investigated in India and abroad.

A joint U.S.-Canada law enforcement investigation known as Operation Hardball has focused on transnational criminal syndicates and has brought renewed attention to the activities of Brar and the Bishnoi network. U.S. investigators have examined alleged links between members of organized crime groups and Nijjar’s killing.

Earlier in July, a senior Canadian law enforcement official said investigators had found no evidence linking Indian government officials to a U.S. investigation that resulted in charges against Bishnoi and dozens of alleged members of three organized crime groups.

U.S. authorities had unsealed three federal indictments charging 37 defendants in connection with alleged racketeering, murder, extortion, kidnapping and drug trafficking following a multinational investigation involving the United States, Canada and Europe. (Source: IANS)