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A man added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list less than 24 hours earlier was arrested near the Canadian border in Vermont after Border Patrol agents responded to a reported break-in attempt, according to federal authorities.
Nitish Kaushal, 26, an Indian national also known as “Lala,” was apprehended on July 16 in Alburgh, Vermont, after Border Patrol agents responded to a report of a suspected break-in attempt at a residence, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The FBI has since assumed custody of Kaushal for further investigation and prosecution.
CBP said federal agents with the Swanton Sector division initially discovered an abandoned vehicle near the northern border during the early morning hours. Later that morning, a resident reported an individual attempting to enter a home on Blair Road. Agents responded to the scene and detained Kaushal, authorities said.
“Border security is national security, and the safety of our communities depends on the vigilance and cooperation of the public,” Acting Chief Border Patrol Agent of Swanton Sector Richard J. Fortunato said in a press release. “We encourage everyone—if you see something, say something. The public’s alertness and quick reporting played a critical role in this case.”
Kaushal was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list on July 15, one day before his arrest, after federal prosecutors in California charged him in a sweeping racketeering case targeting the alleged Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group. Federal authorities said a records check revealed Kaushal was the subject of an FBI warrant issued in the Central District of California.
The FBI says Kaushal is wanted for his alleged involvement in the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group, a transnational criminal organization that authorities allege has engaged in activities including murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering and human smuggling.
Federal court records show a grand jury in Los Angeles returned an indictment on June 25 charging Kaushal and multiple co-defendants with racketeering conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as RICO.
A court-filed warrant issued June 25 ordered federal officers to arrest Kaushal and bring him before a magistrate judge to answer the racketeering conspiracy charge. The FBI’s wanted notice described Kaushal as armed and dangerous and an escape risk.
The charging document identifies Kaushal as Defendant No. 7 in the case, and prosecutors allege Kaushal and other defendants participated in acts of violence on behalf of the group, including kidnappings and assaults. The indictment specifically alleges Kaushal was involved in the restraint, assault and transportation of a victim during an incident in California in July 2024.
The indictment also alleges the organization operated as a transnational criminal enterprise with members and associates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Prosecutors allege the group’s activities included drug transportation routes extending across the United States and to the U.S.-Canada border.
Federal authorities said Kaushal was transported for medical evaluation following his arrest in Vermont before being turned over to the FBI. CBP said agents also recovered a small quantity of suspected narcotics during the arrest, though testing was pending.
Kaushal remains charged but not convicted. The allegations contained in the indictment have not been proven in court, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A federal magistrate judge in Vermont scheduled a detention hearing for July 21 in Burlington and ordered that Kaushal remain in U.S. Marshals Service custody pending the hearing, according to a court order.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Geoffrey Rowland
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