Judge Orders Punjab Gang Suspect Held For Transfer To Los Angeles

WASHINGTON, DC-A US federal judge has ordered alleged Punjab gang member Nitish Kaushal to remain in custody pending trial and be transferred to California to face racketeering conspiracy charges, as prosecutors released new details alleging the organization recruited vulnerable youth in Punjab, including minors, with promises of money and opportunities to migrate abroad.

US Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle of the District of Vermont on July 22 ordered Kaushal detained pending trial, ruling that no combination of release conditions would reasonably assure either the safety of the community or Kaushal’s appearance in court.

Judge Doyle also ordered Kaushal’s transfer to the US District Court for the Central District of California, where he faces a federal indictment charging him with conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Kaushal will remain in federal custody pending his transfer.

The FBI arrested Kaushal, an Indian national also known as “Lala”, in Alburgh, Vermont, near the Canadian border after placing him on its Most Wanted list.

According to a detention motion filed by US federal prosecutors in the District of Vermont, the government argued Kaushal should remain in custody because the charge carries a potential life sentence and because he poses both a danger to the community and a serious flight risk.

Prosecutors said they have strong evidence linking Kaushal to the alleged Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group, which they describe as a transnational criminal syndicate based in India involved in kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and firearms offences.

Prosecutors also said Kaushal entered the United States illegally through Yuma, Arizona, in 2022 and became a fugitive after the California indictment was unsealed in late June. They said law enforcement officers were unable to arrest him on July 7, prompting the FBI to place him on its Most Wanted list.

Kaushal was arrested on July 16 within one mile of the Canadian border after abandoning a vehicle near the international boundary. When US Border Patrol officers encountered him, prosecutors allege he presented a New Jersey driver’s license bearing another person’s name. The government said fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity and that Kaushal admitted the license did not belong to him.

According to the indictment, the organization recruited vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in Punjab, including minors, because they faced lower criminal penalties if caught committing violent crimes. Prosecutors allege recruits were promised money, notoriety, power and “the ability to escape India”, with some later sent to operate in countries including the United States and Canada.

The indictment also alleges the organization financed its operations through murder-for-hire, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling. Prosecutors further allege members worked with corrupt law enforcement officials in Punjab to target rivals and extort victims.  (IANS)