Anmol Bishnoi – the younger brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who runs a global criminal syndicate despite being in jail in Ahmedabad – was arrested in the United States, in the California capital of Sacramento last Thursday – for entering that country with illegal documents.

Bishnoi – wanted by India in connection with several high-profile cases, including the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 and the killing last month of ex-Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique – faces an extradition request filed by Delhi.

He has now been arrested by US officials, but not in connection with the crimes of which he is accused by the Indian government. Intelligence sources have indicated there is no possibility, at this time, of Anmol Bishnoi being sent to India, in line with Delhi’s request earlier this month for custody.

Sources, however, have told NDTV the US government did inform its Indian counterpart of Anmol Bishnoi’s detention and the reasons for the 50-year-old being taken into custody.

READ | Lawrence Bishnoi’s Brother Not Detained Over India Cases: Sources

According to the ICE website, Bishnoi is in the Pottawattamie County Jail in the state of Iowa.

Bishnoi travelled often between the US and Canada, where his brother’s gang has influence, and is reportedly being investigated by the latter government.

Earlier this month, Mumbai Police sent a proposal to the central government for the extradition of Bishnoi, who is named in a case filed by the National Investigation Agency, or NIA.

This was after a Maharashtra court issued a non-bailable warrant against Bishnoi junior.

A Red Corner Notice was issued by global law enforcement agency Interpol.

Bishnoi, from Punjab’s Fazilka, was earlier believed to be in Canada after fleeing India on a fake passport. He also faces two cases filed by the National Investigation Agency – India’s anti-terror unit.

The NIA had added him to its most-wanted list and offered a reward of Rs 10 lakh for his arrest.

READ | Who Is Anmol Bishnoi, Now On Anti-Terror Agency’s Most-Wanted List

The Bishnoi gang – which made headlines after the murder of singer Moosewala – made headlines again this year after the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s home on April 14.

Security was tightened at his house after the incident as threats continued to pour in – in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi – over the 1998 blackbuck hunting case. The gang is also being probed for the murder of politician Baba Siddique – known to be close to Salman Khan – last month.

Also, in 2022, the Bishnoi brothers – among others – were accused of being part of a conspiracy to raise funds and recruit youth for “terrorist acts” in Delhi and other parts of the country.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau were seen sharing the stage together during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro as diplomatic tensions between India and Canada continue to simmer. The interaction, also involving US President Joe Biden, occurred during a group photo at the Museum of Modern Art, where world leaders gathered on Tuesday.

In the moments leading up to the photo-op, PM Modi was seen clasping Biden’s hand as the US President, attending his final G20 summit before exiting office in January, stepped onto the stage. Trudeau, standing nearby, was seen pointing and chatting with Biden.

Chinese President Xi Jinping joined the leaders shortly afterwards and completed the tableau which also featured French President Emmanuel Macron 

Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa have been simmering since Trudeau’s September 2023 allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple in Canada. India dismissed the accusation as “absurd.”

In the subsequent fallout, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and recalled its envoy to Ottawa after Canada attempted to question Indian officials as “persons of interest” in the Nijjar case. Pro-Khalistan activities in Canada, including a recent attack on a Hindu temple near Toronto, have further inflamed relations between the two nations.

PM Modi has strongly condemned such incidents, calling them “cowardly attempts” to intimidate Indian representatives.

India has consistently rejected any link to the murder of Nijjar, a designated terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and accused Trudeau’s administration of pandering to Khalistani sympathisers for political gain. The Trudeau government has accused India of being complicit in Nijjar’s killing, a claim India has vehemently denied.

India has termed the allegations as politically motivated, pointing to Canada’s failure to address the rising tide of pro-Khalistan sentiment in the country. In the aftermath of Nijjar’s death, Canadian police suggested that six Indian diplomats were involved in the plot, a claim that India quickly dismissed as “preposterous.” Despite multiple exchanges, including meetings at international forums like the G20 Summit, Canada has failed to provide any conclusive evidence linking India to the murder.