6 hours ago
Last Updated:June 26, 2025, 09:34 IST
Brenda Locke described the gang as a transnational crime syndicate operating in Canada through local proxies and blamed it for murders & extortion targeting South Asian businesses
Top Indian intelligence sources said the Bishnoi gang has a global network of over 700 operatives. (PTI)
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has formally urged the Canadian federal government to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and other violent transnational networks as terrorist organisations under Canadian law.
In her statement, Locke described the Bishnoi gang as a transnational crime syndicate based in India but operating in Canada through local proxies. She said the gang is involved in murders, extortion, and threats targeting South Asian businesses in cities like Surrey, Brampton, and Calgary.
Top Indian intelligence sources, while welcoming the move, told CNN-News18 that the Bishnoi gang has a global network of over 700 operatives. “The group uses encrypted messaging apps, cryptocurrency laundering, and social media to coordinate threats and extortion. A number of businesses in Canada have reportedly paid money under fear of violence, with 10 major extortion cases reported in Surrey alone in the last six months," they said.
The gang’s Canada-based associate Goldy Brar, who publicly claimed responsibility for the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala, is also believed to be involved in drug trafficking and political violence across Canadian provinces.
The sources reiterated that several other violent networks operating from Canada are also working against Indian interests. These include Khalistani extremist groups such as Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and Babbar Khalsa (BKI), both of which remain active in Canada.
“These groups are believed to be involved in fundraising, recruitment, radicalisation of youth, and planning violence in India. Many of them operate under the front of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which has been accused of using political activism as a cover for extremist activities, including student recruitment and extortion-based financing."
Sikhs for Justice is a US-based separatist group that advocates for the creation of ‘Khalistan’, carved out from India’s Punjab region. The Indian government has banned SFJ as an unlawful organisation due to its alleged involvement in inciting violence, radicalising youth, and promoting anti-India propaganda. Its founder, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is considered a designated terrorist by Indian authorities.
Authorities have also linked these groups to drug and money-laundering networks involving Dubai-based operatives and connections to Mexican cartels and heroin smuggling via the UAE.
The Brothers Keepers, another Canadian street gang led by Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, has been implicated in extortion schemes targeting South Asian businesses in British Columbia.
Indian officials continue to press for international cooperation in dismantling these networks and protecting diaspora communities from organised criminal and extremist threats.
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Canada
First Published:News world Surrey Mayor Calls For Terror Tag On Lawrence Bishnoi Gang, India Welcomes Move | Exclusive
