Opinion | Transnational Turmoil: Punjabi Gang Feud Erupts In America’s Heartland |
“The transnationalization of crime can itself be the product of state foreign and migration policies."
-Michael Ahn Paarlberg (2022)
The recent targeted killing in Fresno, California, United States (US), linked to transnational Punjabi-oriented Indian gang rivalries, marks a critical new phase in the global expansion of these conflicts. On October 18, 2025, Banwari Godara, an associate of gangster Harry Boxer – a close associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang – was killed, and another person was injured in a shooting at a truck repair yard on 5400 Block, South Cedar Avenue, Fresno. Although no arrests have been made and official details remain undisclosed, the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang publicly claimed responsibility, declaring that Boxer was the intended target and warning Bishnoi gang members of similar consequences, while labelling Bishnoi a “traitor." In response, Arzoo Bishnoi, a member of the Bishnoi gang, threatened Rohit Godara with retaliation, asserting that Boxer was safe and that their response would come “not with social media posts, but with bullets."
The Fresno incident confirms the split between the Bishnoi gang and Goldy Brar, which began after Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara failed to help Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, secure bail following his November 2024 arrest in California for document forgery. Though Anmol was later released with an ankle tracker, the episode deepened the rift. What began as turf and extortion battles in Punjab and adjoining Indian states spilt over into Canada – currently witnessing a surge in Punjabi gang violence – and has now metastasised into the US and other parts of the world, with criminal-terrorist networks exploiting diaspora links, drug trafficking routes, and social media for operational expansion.
On October 21, 2025, Canada, which recently designated the Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity, recorded another targeted attack when Punjabi singer Teji Kahlon was seriously injured outside a private event. Members of the Rohit Godara gang claimed responsibility, accusing him of supporting rival gangs with money, weapons, and information. This incident forms part of a broader pattern of gang-related violence in Canada, including cases of extortion and targeted shootings directed at Indian-origin businesses and cultural figures, such as the three reported shooting attempts on comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Surrey.
Bishnoi gang member Randeep Malik aka Randeep Singh, who runs a transport business in the US and is wanted by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), claimed via a Facebook post on September 3, 2025, that he ordered a shooting targeting the hideout of rivals from the Romi King and Prince gang in Odivelas, Lisbon, marking the first major Indian gang conflict in Portugal. Malik was previously briefly detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August 2025. He is also linked to several high-profile cases in India, including grenade attacks in Chandigarh and other violent activities carried out in coordination with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
In recent years, several Punjabi gang leaders, primarily based in the US and other Western countries, have sought to expand their transnational influence. Notably, the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar faction, then operating on behalf........