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Bishnoi Gang: What we know about the India-based criminal group claiming to have operatives in Canada
An India-based gang operating in Canada reportedly sent a letter to a B.C. police station last summer claiming to have a thousand operatives ready to do its bidding. Here’s what to know.
What is the Bishnoi Gang?According to Public Safety Canada , the Bishnoi Gang is a transnational criminal organization operating primarily out of India.
“The Bishnoi Gang generates terror in the communities in which they operate through their involvement in extortions and intimidation,” the government says. “The Bishnoi Gang also engages in murder, shootings and arson.”
Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?Founder and kingpin of the Bishnoi gang, Lawrence Bishnoi was born on Feb. 12, 1993, in Dutarawali, a village in India’s Punjab region. A law-school graduate, he has been in jail in his home country since 2015, with multiple charges and accusations against him.
Currently in the Sabarmati jail in the city of Ahmedabad, Bishnoi is said to have been moved around different prisons for his safety and because of his ability to break jail rules.
What is the gang’s connection to Canada?The government of Canada says of the gang: “They have a presence in Canada, and are active in areas with significant diaspora communities. The Bishnoi Gang creates a climate of insecurity for Canadians in diaspora communities as it targets them, their prominent community members, their businesses, as well as cultural figures within the community.”
What did the letter to police say?According to Global News and other media sources, a letter from the gang was delivered to a police station in Abbotsford, B.C., on Aug. 13, 2025.
Testifying at a deportation hearing conducted virtually on Thursday for an alleged member of an Edmonton-based extortion gang, Edmonton Police Const. Kevin St. Louis told the Immigration and Refugee Board: “Police actually received a letter addressed from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang that was sent to a police station.”
He added: “This specific letter outlined essentially their criminal organization, where they talked about having upwards of 1,000 individuals that are willing to carry out these shootings as a part of the group. It also alludes to how every business needs to pay their tax, which I think clearly demonstrates the monetary gain that this group is looking to obtain as a result of these extortions.”
What has Canada’s reaction been?Last September, the government of Canada listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.
“Every person in Canada has the right to feel safe in their home and community and as a government it is our fundamental responsibility to protect them” Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, said at the time.
“Specific communities have been targeted for terror, violence and intimidation by the Bishnoi Gang. Listing this group of criminal terrorists gives us more powerful and effective tools to confront and put a stop to their crimes.”
A terrorist listing means anything owned by that group in Canada can be frozen or seized, and makes it a criminal offence for anyone in Canada and Canadians abroad to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by a terrorist group.
What has the Indian government’s reaction been?When Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh temple leader, was shot and killed in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023, the government of Canada accused the Bishnoi gang of being involved.
Three months after the killing, prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that authorities were also investigating the possible involvement of Indian government agents.
And in a statement the following October, the RCMP released “a statement on violent criminal activity occurring in Canada with connections to agents of the Government of India.”
The statement noted “well over a dozen credible and imminent threats to life which have led to the conduct of Duty to Warn by law enforcement with members of the South Asian community, and specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement.”
It said that a team “created to investigate and coordinate efforts to combat this threat … has learned a significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada.”
This month, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said those claims were baseless .
“It is not our policy to interfere in issues of other countries,” said spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “”We believe that any concerns of this nature should be addressed through established mechanisms rather than through public or politicized narratives.”
What can be done?In addition to the terrorist designation, police forces across Canada continue to combat South Asian crime rings. This week, Peel police in Ontario said they had arrested 17 individuals, most of whom have ties to an international criminal network known as For Brothers, which targeted South Asian business owners and community members across the region, Canada and the United States.
They were not directly connected to the Bishnoi Gang, but schisms within that group as well as copycat crimes committed by those invoking Bishnoi’s name have spread.
Deportation is another tool of the government. In March, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced it had removed from Canada under escort two men “linked to extortion and organized criminal schemes in Canada.” Arshdeep Singh had entered Canada on a study permit in 2022, while Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu entered Canada in 2016 as a temporary resident.
CBSA noted that it had, as of March 12, 2026, opened 372 immigration investigations, issued 70 removal orders for various inadmissibility grounds, and enforced 35 removals.
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