An Indian gang accused of extortion and murder for hire in Canada is “acting on behalf of the Indian government,” according to an RCMP document obtained by Global News.
In a report on the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the RCMP’s national security division mentioned the criminal group’s alleged ties to the Indian government half a dozen times in just three pages.
Distributed internally last year, the document is a classified assessment of the Bishnoi gang’s growing presence in Canada. A copy was released Monday by Global News under the Access to Information Act.
“The Bishnoi Crime Group is a violent criminal organization with an active and constantly expanding presence in several countries, including Canada,” according to the report.
Driven by greed rather than political or religious motivations, the Bishnoi gang engages in extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering and contract killings, notes the RCMP.
“The Bishnoi criminal group is known to use violence to further its criminal enterprise, while acting on behalf of the Government of India,” the statement, marked “Protected A,” said.
The report is undated but refers to British Columbia Premier David Eby’s June 17, 2025, statement calling on the government to classify the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization.
The information was made public by the RCMP the same day Eby began a trade mission to India from January 12 to 17. Prime Minister Mark Carney is also reportedly planning to visit India later this year.
The diplomatic initiative is part of a broader effort to diversify Canada’s trade partnerships and offset an erratic tariff regime led by U.S. President Donald Trump.
RCMP report on the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and its alleged links to the Indian government.
Global News
Organizations representing Canadian Sikhs, the main targets of India’s alleged campaign of violence, have protested attempts to deepen ties with India.
They accuse politicians of betraying them by prioritizing improving trade over holding India accountable for its alleged assassination plots targeting South Asian Canadians.
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“The RCMP and the Government of Canada are clearly aware that the Bishnoi gang is operating in coordination with the Indian government to target individuals in Canada,” said Balpreet Singh, spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization of Canada.
“But for political convenience, this reality is downplayed and hidden,” he said.
“It is deeply disturbing that the Canadian government appears willing to ignore the ongoing transnational campaign of repression in India and its obvious links to the Bishnoi gang, to the detriment of the safety and security of Canadians.
The Indian High Commission in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment. Neither does Carney’s office. Carney has previously said the justice system is dealing with incidents of violence.
The British Columbia premier’s office referenced Eby’s comments last week that “criminal proceedings” were underway and that the federal government was engaging with India on “issues of mutual concern.”
“Our real role, as a subnational government and as a province, is to ensure that we take care of BCers and, in a moment of opportunity and warming relations with India, to make sure that we benefit, by creating jobs for BCers and, in particular, in sectors that have been particularly hard hit by Trump’s tariffs, such as the softwood lumber industry,” he said.
Concerns that India was behind violence in Canada made headlines following the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh temple leader, who was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Nijjar was a leader of the Khalistan movement which seeks independence for the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab. India called him a “terrorist” and urged Canada to arrest him.
Three months after his assassination, Justin Trudeau, then prime minister, told the House of Commons that Canadian authorities were investigating the possible role of Indian government agents.
The four suspected gunmen were arrested in May 2024. Global News reported that Canada obtained intercepted communications linking senior Indian officials to Nijjar’s killing.
On October 14, 2024, RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme further warned that investigations had linked Indian officials to violent crimes in Canada.
Canada expelled six Indian consular and diplomatic officials in protest. But since becoming prime minister, Carney has restored diplomatic ties and said he wants a trade deal with Modi.
As incidents of extortion and shootings increase, the Canadian government added the Bishnoi gang to its list of terrorist groups last September. The list makes no mention of the Indian government.
But the RCMP report, prepared “to provide situational awareness of the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal group” and its “key individuals,” repeatedly refers to India’s alleged association with the gang.
According to the report, the Bishnoi gang began by using intimidation in student politics in Punjab, India, and grew to include around 700 members across several Indian states.
“The group’s reach now extends throughout North America, Europe and the Gulf States, as well as other regions with significant Punjabi diaspora communities,” the RCMP wrote.
Although its leader, Lawrence Bishnoi, has been imprisoned in India since 2015, he “would have continued to lead his organization during his incarceration”, it is specified.
“Goldy Brar, considered one of Bishnoi’s closest associates, is said to have taken over the activities of the Bishnoi criminal group,” the report added. Brar’s real name is believed to be Satinderjeet Singh.
The report reiterates RCMP allegations that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar’s murder. He also said the Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility for the killing of another pro-Khalistan activist in Manitoba.
Sukhdool Singh was killed in Winnipeg in September 2023. Like Nijjar, he had been labeled a terrorist by the Indian government, according to the RCMP report. He was also a member of the Bambiha gang, a rival of the Bishnoi, it is said.
“The RCMP said Indian government agents were using “organized crime groups like the Bishnoi group” to target leaders of the pro-Khalistan movement in Canada.
Moninder Sikh of the Sikh Federation of Canada, created to combat India’s alleged illicit activities in the country, said government policies put Canadians at risk.
“The federal government and now the BC government are putting lives at risk by signing trade deals with a country like India that has taken no responsibility and shown no remorse for its foreign interference,” he said.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
