FBI Sweep in California Charges 37 in India-Linked Crime Network With Sacramento Arrest and Alleged Extortion Across the State

LOS ANGELES, CA — A major FBI operation targeting organized crime tied to India led to arrests Tuesday in California, including one in Sacramento, as federal prosecutors unveiled charges against 37 defendants. Authorities said the coordinated action, called Operation Hard Ball, also involved arrests in Canada and Spain.

Agents say the investigation reached into a network of syndicates that used prison-held leaders and encrypted communications to direct violence, extortion and drug trafficking. Prosecutors also tied one group to the 2023 killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, saying this is the first time U.S. prosecutors have made that allegation.

Charges and seizures

Federal authorities said 24 people were arrested in the sweep, including 11 in California, and that investigators executed more than 50 search warrants. The searches turned up about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, 12 firearms and $40,000 in cash.

Prosecutors described the alleged operation as cartel-like, with bosses directing crimes from prison in India through contraband phones and encrypted apps. The defendants are accused of coordinating murder plots, extortion schemes and drug trafficking across borders.

Alleged California ties

At a news conference in Los Angeles, prosecutors said the case included pressure on people in California connected to South Asian communities. Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California, described an alleged scheme in which a Los Angeles family was told charges against relatives in India could be dropped if they paid $400,000.

Authorities said the sweep also followed a police official in Punjab publicly announcing charges involving two relatives of that Los Angeles family. Federal officials declined to discuss in detail how the criminal case may overlap with broader transnational repression concerns.

Community fear in Central Valley

In Sacramento and the Central Valley, where a large Sikh population lives, local reaction mixed gratitude for the arrests with frustration that the indictments did not address foreign intimidation more directly. Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains praised the FBI’s work but criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for vetoing a bill that would have helped law enforcement identify signs of transnational repression.

Residents and advocates described recent threats, shootings and extortion attempts aimed at Sikh business owners and activists, including a Madera restaurant owner who said his business was shot at twice and later targeted with a half-million-dollar demand. He said he has reported the incidents to police and spoken with the FBI.

Calls for wider response

Advocates said the arrests matter, but they argued that criminal charges alone will not solve the larger problem of intimidation aimed at immigrants and dissidents. Some said they believe the violence is more widespread than official records show because victims often stay silent out of fear.

Others said the case illustrates why communities need faster recognition of extortion, threats and surveillance. Their message was that arrests can disrupt networks, but prevention and policy response are still needed to protect people before threats turn violent.

TNSO covers California, Nevada, and Arizona as the story unfolds.