Bishnoi gang operating in Canada on behalf of Indian govt: Canadian police report

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang, listed as a "terrorist organisation" in Canada, has now come into the spotlight again in the country as a report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has said it had been "acting on behalf of the Indian government". The report, accessed by Vancouver-based Global News, alleged that the Bishnoi gang had ties to the government of India.

The three-page report by the RCMP, the national police service of Canada, mentions the Bishnoi gang's ties to the Indian government six times, reports Global News.

The allegations come at a time when ties between India and Canada are on the mend. In August 2025, after more than 10 months of strained relations, both India and Canada appointed envoys to each other. Ties had been damaged after Canadian security officials said that India had engaged in espionage and acts of violence without providing any evidence. India had, on multiple occasions, junked these allegations.

The latest report is a confidential intelligence review tracking the expanding footprint of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Canada. Global News said a version of the report was obtained by it on Monday.

LAWRENCE BISHNOI GANG EXPANDING FOOTPRINT IN CANADA: REPORT

"The Bishnoi Crime Group is a violent criminal organisation with an active, continually expanding presence in several countries, including Canada," the RCMP report said.

"The Bishnoi Crime Group is known to use violence to further their criminal enterprise, while acting on behalf of the Indian government," the report added.

According to the RCMP, the Bishnoi gang is involved in a range of serious criminal activities, including extortion rackets, narcotics trafficking, financial laundering operations, and targeted assassinations. The main motive of the gang, the police said, was "greed" and not political or religious reasons.

REPORT COMES AMID CANADIAN LEADER'S INDIA VISIT

The report was released by the RCMP on the same day when British Columbia premier David Eby began a trade mission to India — from January 12–17, reported Global News.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has intensified its violent activities in Canada over the past year and despite being designated a terrorist organisation by Ottawa, the gang's operations in Canada were spreading, according to the report.

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who has associates across India and on foreign soil, pulls the strings of his criminal empire from a prison cell in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Jail, according to multiple news reports.

India and Canada were engaged in a diplomatic standoff when Justin Trudeau was the Prime Minister. Trudeau claimed the Indian government's role in the murder of a Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil. New Delhi denied any role and sought evidence, which Ottawa never provided.

In October last year, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said both countries had agreed to enhance intelligence-sharing and take joint measures to combat organised crime. The Bishnoi gang, however, appears unfazed by the measures, and has attacked businesses over extortion, including comedian Kapil Sharma's Kap's Cafe in Surrey, British Columbia.

Though Canada blames India over gang violence and organised crime, it has over the decades not acted on alerts provided by New Delhi.

That is what was highlighted by Indian Ambassador to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, in an interview on CBC when asked about the Nijjar case. "Accusations are easy. India has been talking about terrorism in Canada for 40 years. What has anyone done about it? Not one person has been convicted here," said Patnaik.

Though the Canadian police might be trying to blame the Indian government for the Bishnoi gang's expanding footprint in Canada, what needs to be asked is how the elements found an entry into the country, and what prevented Ottawa from acting against them in the first place.

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