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Declare Lawrence Bishnoi gang as terror group under Canadian law: Surrey mayor
Several gangsters based in Canada with close links to India have been involved in multiple attacks on Indians in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta
NEW DELHI: Brenda Locke, mayor of Surrey in Canada’s British Columbia, on Wednesday asked the Mark Carney-led federal government to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and others involved in extortion and violence as terrorist organisations under Canadian law.
“Today, I am joining calls for the federal government to declare the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—and any other groups involved in extortion and violence targeting Canadians of South Asian descent —as terrorist organizations under Canadian law,” Locke said in a statement released on the city government’s website.
“Whether these groups operate locally or internationally, this designation is a critical step in equipping law enforcement with the necessary tools to dismantle these dangerous networks and protect our residents and businesses,” she said.
Several gangsters based in Canada with close links to India have been involved in multiple attacks on Indians in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta over the past few years and have been charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
To be sure, India has repeatedly asked Ottawa to crack down on these gangs that have been involved in scores of cases of violence, extortion, and murder in several Indian states as well. Some of the key gangsters operating from Canadian soil include Goldy Brar and Arshdeep Dalla.
Locke said the violence and intimidation that the Surrey community faces from the gangs was unacceptable.
“We have seen a disturbing rise in extortion, threats of violence, and ongoing shootings linked to these criminal organizations. Such acts are not only criminal — they are economic terrorism. They destabilize our community’s safety, and we now have a public safety crisis.”
“Declaring these gangs as terrorist entities will enable police to pursue them with greater authority, freeze assets, and strengthen investigations, ultimately making our streets safer. This step can make a real difference. It will provide law enforcement with expanded powers to dismantle these networks, seize illicit assets, and prevent further harm. It sends a clear message that such criminal activity will not be tolerated, and the full force of Canadian law will be used to protect our residents,” her statement added.
“To the federal government: I urge you to declare these groups as terrorist organizations now. Give our police the tools they need to act decisively,” she added.
This is not the first time that Locke has spoken out against the extortion gangs. In January last year, she had written to the federal public safety ministry to stem the menace of extortion attempts that have targeted Indo-Canadian businesses in their areas and also in other parts of Canada.
The move comes days after British Columbia premier David Eby announced that he would write to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to list the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organisation in Canada.
Bishnoi, a key figure in north India-based gangsters, runs the largest network of around 700 members in the syndicate. He has been in prison since 2015 and is frequently moved between Delhi and Punjab jails to face trial in these jurisdictions.
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the jailed gangster’s syndicate had been sending money generated in India through extortion and smuggling abroad, where it was invested in yachts, movies and the Canadian Premier League in Canada, and in clubs in Thailand.
In its charge sheet in 2023, NIA listed at least 13 instances from 2019 to 2021 when amounts ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹60 lakh were sent by Bishnoi to Canada and Thailand using the hawala route.
Investigators say Bishnoi, through his deputy Satwinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, works very closely with Khalistani groups operating from Canadian soil, particularly Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) leader Lakhbir Singh Landa.
“...the money collected through extortion, illegal liquor, arms smuggling business etc was sent to Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar and one Satbir Singh alias Sam in Canada through hawala for further investment as well as for funding the radical activities of pro-Khalistan elements (PKEs),” NIA said in its March 2023 charge sheet against 14 persons who are part of larger Khalistan-gangster nexus.
