The FBI on Thursday arrested Indian-origin man Nitish Kaushal in Vermont, days after it put him on its wanted list as part of a crackdown on transnational organized crime.The FBI said Kaushal was arrested as authorities closed in on the Bhagwanpriya gang.According to the agency, Kaushal is suspected of being involved in murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking in the United States. The FBI said the Indian national committed acts of violence, including kidnappings and assaults, on behalf of the Bhagwanpuria organized crime group.“Nitish Kaushal is wanted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization that has engaged in activities including murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling,” the FBI said earlier this week.The FBI also warned that Kaushal should be considered armed, dangerous and a flight risk.The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles issued a federal arrest warrant for Kaushal on June 25 after charging him with racketeering conspiracy.The arrests were made following Operation Hardball, a coordinated international law enforcement operation targeting the Bhagwan Priya gang.The operation, which involved raids across the United States, Canada and Europe, underscored growing international efforts to disrupt transnational crime syndicates originating in India.Earlier this month, U.S. federal prosecutors charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close associate Goldy Brar with ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.The FBI and other law enforcement agencies also conducted widespread raids targeting the Lawrence Bishnoi network in the United States.
