Bishnoi Gang: What we know about the India-based criminal group claiming to have operatives in Canada

The flags of India and Canada fly during India Day celebrations at Syncrude Athletic Park in Fort McMurray on Aug. 19. 2018. Photo by Vincent McDermott /Postmedia

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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.

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What is the Bishnoi Gang?

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According to Public Safety Canada, the Bishnoi Gang is a transnational criminal organization operating primarily out of India.

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“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.”

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Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?

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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.

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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.

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What is the gang’s connection to Canada?

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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.”

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What did the letter to police say?

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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What has Canada’s reaction been?

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Last September, the government of Canada listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.

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“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.

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“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.”

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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.