LOS ANGELES (The Thursday Times) — The FBI has issued a wanted notice for Nitish Kaushal, a 26-year-old Indian national alleged to be an enforcer for a Punjab-origin transnational criminal network, and has warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous and an escape risk. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Kaushal on 25 June 2026 in the US District Court for the Central District of California after he was charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Conspiracy, according to the FBI.
The FBI says Kaushal, who uses the alias “Lala,” is wanted for his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organisation engaged in acts including murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling. He is alleged to have carried out acts of violence on behalf of the group, including kidnappings and assaults, the bureau said. The FBI describes him as an Indian national, five feet eleven inches tall, and lists a date of birth in June 2000.
Nitish Kaushal is #wanted by the #FBI for his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization engaged in, among other things, acts involving murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering, and human smuggling. This… pic.twitter.com/xuEXpJIx6u
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) July 14, 2026
According to the FBI, the organisation is known as the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group, which originated in the Punjab state of India and operated in the Central District of California and elsewhere. The Bhagwanpuria network is one of three India-based transnational criminal groups named in Operation Hard Ball, a sweeping US law enforcement crackdown announced earlier this month. That same operation produced charges against Lawrence Bishnoi, the imprisoned gang leader accused of ordering the 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Operation Hard Ball resulted in 37 defendants charged across three indictments and 24 arrests across the United States, Canada and Europe, according to the US Department of Justice. The three networks targeted, the Bishnoi, Bhagwanpuria and Dhanda groups, all originated in Punjab and operated across multiple continents. Kaushal is among those still being sought by US law enforcement.
Kaushal has been charged and remains at large. The FBI has urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the bureau or the nearest US embassy or consulate, and has cautioned that he should be considered armed and dangerous and an escape risk.
