NEW DELHI: In a leaked audio conversation with pro-Khalistan terrorist Paramjit Singh Pamma, US-based gangster Goldy Brar has admitted to orchestrating the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan terrorist, in Canada in June 2023.Brar said Nijjar, whose killing had triggered a diplomatic crisis between India and Canada, was targeted over his “involvement in drug trafficking and promoting drug abuse”. Intelligence sources confirmed the voice in the audio was Brar’s.Brar, wanted in India for several killings – including that of singer Sidhu Moosewala – is heard saying Nijjar’s promotion of drugs among teens irked him.This admission surfaced alongside the execution of Operation Hardball, a joint US-Canada law enforcement crackdown targeting transnational crime syndicates. The investigation had indicted Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi for orchestrating the killing of ‘HSN’ (short for Nijjar), reframing the high-profile assassination as a gangland hit rather than a state-sponsored killing.“Those who groomed and incited 16-to-17-year-olds to sell drugs… those who blackmailed young people into selling drugs and becoming informants… Nijjar supported and strengthened these individuals so that he could use them when necessary,” Brar is heard telling Pamma. “That’s why me and my team had to kill Nijjar, because these people were using young people to sell drugs. Good or bad, everyone has to face the consequences of their actions,” he added.Brar’s admission, which comes after his and Lawrence’s Op Hardball indictment in Nijjar’s murder, also reflected in Canadian police’s initial probe which hinted at gang rivalry. The probe also noted that a hit on Nijjar had been circulating for several weeks on an encrypted online site used to hire hitmen.
Join conversation
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Nijjar (45) was shot on June 18, 2023, in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, in Newton, Surrey. Six men and two vehicles were used in the attack. A CCTV video showed Nijjar’s grey pickup truck and a white sedan driving parallel in the parking lot of the gurdwara, seconds before the shooting started.Nijjar, the head of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was replaced by his confidant Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala. Interestingly, in the latest audio, Brar is also heard claiming the killing of Dala’s close associate, Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke, who was murdered in Winnipeg area in Sept 2023.