The net surrounding the incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s purported international crime syndicate has progressively tightened over the last two years, with Canadian law enforcement taking a prominent role even before the recent FBI-led initiative known as Operation Hard Ball.
Initially identified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 2024, the Bishnoi group has faced increasing international scrutiny, culminating in its classification as a terrorist entity by Canada and subsequent extensive indictments in the United States. The latest charges implicate Bishnoi and his associate Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, in crimes reportedly committed in Canada.
The Canadian authorities first publicly addressed the Bishnoi gang on October 14, 2024, during a press briefing by the RCMP concerning allegations of foreign interference and criminal activities within Canada. Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin highlighted the gang’s involvement, alleging that it was being utilized to target pro-Khalistan activists within the country.
While these comments were connected to the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18, 2023, near the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia—an event that severely strained India-Canada relations—the RCMP’s investigation into the Bishnoi gang was primarily driven by a series of extortion-related shootings.
A notable incident involved Abjeet Kingra, 26, and Vikram Sharma, 24, who faced charges in connection with a shooting tied to extortion in Surrey. Kingra was apprehended in October 2024 and later admitted guilt to charges of arson and firearms violations, stating in court that these acts were committed at the direction of the Bishnoi gang.
Moreover, investigators linked Kingra to a shooting that occurred in September 2024 at the residence of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon in Colwood, British Columbia. Authorities claimed that Kingra recorded the incident using a body-camera-style device and shared it online to allow the Bishnoi gang to take credit for the act. This shooting was reportedly a retaliatory measure against Dhillon for featuring Bollywood star Salman Khan in a music video, with Kingra allegedly receiving around 4,000 Canadian dollars for the task.
Sharma is believed to have fled to India, and during deportation hearings in June, Kingra expressed fears for his safety, claiming that the gang had threatened him and his family for allegedly cooperating with law enforcement. Nevertheless, Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board decided to deport him, citing his affiliation with a criminal organization.
By mid-2025, the focus of investigations shifted significantly toward organized extortion aimed at South Asian businesses, particularly in British Columbia. The frequency of these incidents garnered attention from political leaders.
On June 17, 2025, British Columbia Premier David Eby announced plans to formally urge the federal government to categorize the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization, stating that ongoing violence and intimidation were undermining public trust in the justice system.
This initiative gained traction after Abbotsford Police received a letter in August 2025, allegedly from the Bishnoi gang, which boasted of having “1,000 foot soldiers” ready to execute shootings throughout Canada as part of its extortion schemes. This letter later emerged in proceedings before Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board, where an Edmonton police investigator presented it as evidence of the gang’s influence and intimidation tactics.
Canada’s financial intelligence agency, FINTRAC, also identified money laundering activities connected to extortion networks operating under the gang’s name, revealing a pattern where business owners in Greater Toronto and Metro Vancouver received threats followed by demands for large payments.
On September 29, 2025, Canada officially designated the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code.
In announcing this decision, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree stated that the government determined the organization had “knowingly carried out, attempted to carry out, participated in or facilitated terrorist activity” through acts of murder, shooting, arson, extortion, and intimidation that fostered “a climate of insecurity” in South Asian communities.
The RCMP’s investigations took a cross-border dimension when a victim, who relocated to Canada after assisting Indian authorities in apprehending two suspected extortionists, began receiving death threats from a California resident named Jasmeet Singh. Subsequently, U.S. authorities charged Singh with making threats on behalf of the Bishnoi gang.
One documented incident from the Sacramento FBI office in December 2023 indicated that Bishnoi himself allegedly contacted a victim, whose vehicle was later shot at outside his residence.
In January of this year, Global News disclosed parts of a classified RCMP national security assessment characterizing the Bishnoi organization as “a violent criminal organization with an active, continually expanding presence” in Canada and several other nations.
During this timeframe, the RCMP and local police observed a recurring trend in which threats were made via phone calls or messaging apps, followed by arson or shootings if extortion demands were not fulfilled.
These investigations ultimately set the stage for the recent collaborative U.S.-Canada initiative under Operation Hard Ball.
In the latest development, the U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with the RCMP, identified Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, as the North American leader of the Bishnoi organization. Allegations state that Brar, along with associates, “effectively represented Bishnoi and helped orchestrate the actions of members and affiliates of the Bishnoi enterprise globally, including violent acts in the United States, Canada, and beyond.”
