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加拿大連環謀殺案引發呼籲將印度比什諾伊幫派列為“恐怖組織”
加拿大官員指控該幫派為印度效力，該幫派已聲稱對近期發生在南亞社區的多起謀殺案負責。
作者：Gagandeep Singh 發布於：2025年8月8日
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/8/8/canada-murders-spark-calls-to-label-indias-bishnoi-gang-a-terror-group?
加拿大官員指控該幫派為印度效力，該幫派已聲稱對近期發生在南亞社區的多起謀殺案負責。
2025 年 5 月 14 日，哈吉特·辛格·達達在加拿大密西沙加市遭槍擊身亡。圖為他辦公室外的景象。[照片由古爾琳·達達提供]
作者：加甘迪普·辛格 2025 年 8 月 8 日
五月的一個清爽春日早晨，在加拿大安大略省布蘭普頓市，哈吉特·辛格·達達一絲不苟地係好他傳統的鼠尾草綠色頭巾，準備去上班。
在前往位於多倫多繁華的皮爾遜國際機場附近密西沙加市的卡車保險辦公室之前，他擁抱了女兒古爾琳。
這是古爾琳最後一次見到她 51 歲的父親。5 月 14 日，哈吉特到達辦公室停車場時，兩名男子攔住了他。其中一人向哈吉特連開數槍，然後駕駛一輛偷來的 2018 款道奇挑戰者逃離現場。
哈吉特後來在當地一家醫院因傷勢過重去世。
數小時後，兩名男子在Facebook上發帖聲稱對哈吉特的謀殺案負責，自稱是勞倫斯·比什諾伊領導的犯罪團夥成員。比什諾伊是一名印度公民，目前被關押在印度西部古吉拉特邦的薩巴爾馬蒂中央監獄。
哈吉特遇害不到一個月後，不列顛哥倫比亞省薩裏市的一名商人以及哈吉特家鄉布蘭普頓市的另一名商人——兩人均為印度裔——遭到槍擊。當地政府表示，這些謀殺案表明，根植於印度的犯罪網絡正在令人不安地擴張到加拿大境內，而領導這一網絡的正是印度最臭名昭著的有組織犯罪集團——勞倫斯·比什諾伊團夥。
現在，越來越多的加拿大政界人士呼籲聯邦政府采取行動，要求將比什諾伊團夥列為恐怖組織。
印度阿姆利則，2022年10月31日：黑幫頭目勞倫斯·比什諾伊在嚴密警力保護下走出阿姆利則法院大樓。比什諾伊此前被阿姆利則鄉村警察從賈朗達爾押送至此地，並被移送至當地法院。比什諾伊此前因涉嫌武器買賣，已被賈朗達爾警察局拘留10天。 （圖片來源：Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images）
2022年10月31日，勞倫斯·比什諾伊在嚴密的警力保護下走出印度阿姆利則法院大樓。[圖片來源：Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images]
“公共安全必須放在首位”
“將比什諾伊列為恐怖分子，使警方能夠動用必要的手段來調查並製止此類活動。這賦予了警方重要的調查工具。”卑詩省省長戴維·埃比在6月17日的一份聲明中表示。
廣告
7月，阿爾伯塔省省長丹尼爾·史密斯也發出了同樣的呼籲。 “正式將比什諾伊幫派認定為恐怖組織將賦予執法機構關鍵權力，使其能夠獲得必要的工具和資源，從而有效地打擊其行動並保護民眾，”史密斯在7月14日的一篇Facebook帖子中寫道。
阿爾伯塔省公共安全部長邁克·埃利斯表示，有可靠情報顯示，比什諾伊幫派參與了該省及加拿大其他地區的敲詐勒索和有針對性的暴力活動。“該幫派起源於印度，目前正在進行的調查旨在查明他們為何專門針對南亞社區，”埃利斯在一份聲明中告訴半島電視台。
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卑詩省議會保守黨議員喬迪·圖爾和布蘭普頓市市長帕特裏克·布朗也支持將比什諾伊幫派認定為恐怖組織。
加拿大聯邦政府表示正在研究這些訴求。 “過去已有將犯罪組織認定為犯罪組織的先例，我完全支持采取全麵、基於證據的方法，”打擊犯罪事務大臣魯比·薩霍塔告訴半島電視台。“公共安全必須放在首位，”
加拿大政府將比什諾伊幫派列為恐怖組織，並授權相關機構追究其恐怖主義相關指控，將招募人員或向該組織提供資金支持的行為定為犯罪，查封並凍結其資產，並賦予其更大的監控權力。
2024年，加拿大官員曾指控比什諾伊幫派受印度情報機構指使，在其境內襲擊印度政府的批評者。
“將該組織列為恐怖組織將向印度和其他盟友發出一個強烈的信號，表明加拿大正在認真對待跨國威脅。這也將增加與全球夥伴的信息共享機會，”阿馬拉辛加姆告訴半島電視台。這些夥伴包括“五眼聯盟”，該聯盟還包括美國、英國、澳大利亞和新西蘭。
他還補充說，將該組織列為恐怖組織還可以加強加拿大通過國際刑警組織等機構提出的逮捕請求。這可能會觸發對該團夥的製裁，使政府能夠實施旅行禁令、拒簽簽證以及將其同夥和資助者列入金融黑名單。
但他警告說，將該組織列為恐怖組織也可能存在弊端。阿馬拉辛加姆表示，雖然比什諾伊幫派顯然參與了犯罪活動，但他們似乎並沒有政治、宗教或意識形態目標——而這通常是列入名單的必要條件。
“利用反恐權力打擊一個缺乏此類動機的組織可能會開創一個危險的先例，削弱加拿大列入名單程序的公信力，降低門檻，為未來政治濫用打開方便之門。”
一名錫克教組織成員舉著一塊標語牌，上麵印有錫克教分離主義者哈迪普·辛格·尼賈爾的照片。
2023年9月22日，一名錫克教組織成員在阿姆利則舉著一塊標語牌，上麵印有錫克教分離主義者哈迪普·辛格·尼賈爾的照片。尼賈爾在不列顛哥倫比亞省薩裏市被殺，使比什諾伊幫派首次引起全球關注，加拿大官員聲稱該幫派與印度政府合作，殺害海外異見人士。[納林德·納努/法新社]
印度情報人員？
但據加拿大官員稱，比什諾伊團夥並非普通的犯罪集團。
近年來，印度總理納倫德拉·莫迪領導的政府麵臨著多項指控，稱其情報人員試圖在海外，尤其是在加拿大和美國，對錫克教分離主義分子進行定點清除。
加拿大約有77萬錫克教徒，占其總人口的2.1%，是印度以外錫克教徒人數最多的國家。許多錫克教徒在20世紀80年代移居加拿大，當時印度軍隊對所謂支持“卡利斯坦”運動的人士進行了暴力鎮壓。該運動要求從印度北部旁遮普邦劃出一個獨立的錫克教家園。印度將這些分離主義分子稱為“恐怖分子”。
2023年6月18日，45歲的錫克教分離主義分子哈迪普·辛格·尼賈爾在錫克教寺廟外被殺，這一事件將比什諾伊及其團夥推到了加拿大和印度之間激烈外交戰的中心。
同年10月，時任加拿大總理賈斯汀·特魯多指責印度外交官收集“反對或與莫迪政府意見相左的加拿大人”的情報，並將這些情報泄露給了“像勞倫斯·比什諾伊團夥這樣的犯罪組織，導致他們在當地對加拿大人實施暴力”。
特魯多及其政府直接指責莫迪政府應對尼賈爾的遇刺負責。尼賈爾是卡利斯坦國的堅定支持者。
但新德裏在否認這些指控的同時，堅稱已向加拿大提交了二十多份引渡請求，尋求渥太華的幫助，將比什諾伊幫派成員引渡回印度接受“應有的法律製裁”。新德裏還表示，加拿大尚未對此請求采取行動。
隨著加印兩國互相指責，許多印度裔社區成員正麵臨著日益加劇的不安全感。他們會不會成為比什諾伊幫派的下一個目標？
警方公布的阿曼和迪格維傑的照片，他們是因哈吉特謀殺案而被捕的兩名男子[圖片由不列顛哥倫比亞省皮爾區警方提供]
警方公布的阿曼和迪格維傑的照片，他們是因哈吉特謀殺案而被捕的兩名男子[圖片由不列顛哥倫比亞省皮爾區警方提供]
“威脅電話”
三十多年來，身為錫克教企業家的哈吉特，建立起了一個堪比加拿大移民成功故事的人生。
他經營著一家名為 G&G Trucking Solutions 的公司——一家谘詢公司，為客戶提供如何創辦和運營貨運公司的建議，同時也是一名商業保險經紀人。他的業務擴展到了阿爾伯塔省的卡爾加裏和埃德蒙頓，擁有近 30 名員工。
他的女兒古爾琳回憶說，2023 年 12 月 10 日，也就是他的生日那天，他接到一個自稱是印度黑幫成員的電話。來電者索要 50 萬加元（約合 36.1 萬美元）的勒索金，並威脅說如果不支付，後果不堪設想。哈吉特拒絕支付，並向執法部門報案。
“他告訴我他接到了那個威脅電話。”
“接到威脅電話後，哈吉特改變了日常作息，開始主要在家辦公。但最終，他還是恢複了在辦公室與客戶的會麵，他的女兒古爾琳說道。
5月14日，古爾琳接到父親辦公室打來的電話。他中槍了。
“我趕緊趕到辦公室。到處都是彈殼。警察封鎖了整個區域。我父親被緊急送往醫院，但後來因傷勢過重去世了，”古爾琳說道。
警方逮捕了三名嫌疑人，分別是21歲的阿曼和迪格維傑，以及22歲的沙希爾。但哈吉特的家人表示，執法部門的調查隻是冰山一角。
“警方隻逮捕了三個孩子。但幕後主使是誰？” “我想知道是誰殺害了我的父親，”古爾琳說道。
與此同時，兩名自稱比什諾伊幫成員的男子——羅希特·戈達拉和戈爾迪·布拉爾——在臉書上發帖稱他們殺害了哈吉特。他們聲稱哈吉特曾幫助過一個敵對幫派，並且參與了在印度的一起謀殺案——哈吉特的家人否認了這些指控。警方尚未證實他們是否認為比什諾伊幫是哈吉特遇害的幕後黑手。
2025年6月12日，另一名印度裔商人薩特溫德·夏爾馬在加拿大不列顛哥倫比亞省薩裏市遭槍擊身亡。一名印度裔黑幫成員吉萬·福吉聲稱對這起謀殺案負責。印度警方稱福吉是已被取締的卡利斯坦組織“巴巴爾·卡爾薩國際”的成員。夏爾馬的家人沒有回應半島電視台的采訪請求。
一周多後，6月20日，布蘭普頓商人、國會議員達諾亞遭槍擊身亡。戈達拉和布拉爾再次在臉書上發帖，代表比什諾伊團夥聲稱對此事負責。
哈吉特、夏爾馬和達諾亞與卡利斯坦運動並無已知聯係。
但團夥頭目勞倫斯·比什諾伊除了其犯罪網絡外，還在獄中接受采訪時自稱是印度教民族主義者。一些莫迪領導的印度教多數派政黨——印度人民黨（BJP）的支持者也曾表示，這名黑幫分子曾恐嚇過卡利斯坦運動的支持者。
2023年4月18日，星期二，在印度新德裏，警察押送被監禁的黑幫分子勞倫斯·比什諾伊前往帕蒂亞拉宮法院出庭。（美聯社照片/迪內什·喬希）
2023年4月18日，星期二，在印度新德裏，警察押送被監禁的黑幫分子勞倫斯·比什諾伊前往帕蒂亞拉宮法院出庭。[迪內什·喬希/美聯社照片]
崛起臭名昭著
印度警方官員稱，32歲的比什諾伊控製著700多名神槍手，他們在全球範圍內實施謀殺和敲詐勒索。而他卻身陷囹圄，近十年來一直在不同的監獄間輾轉，卻依然掌控著這一切。
比什諾伊和布拉爾於2022年5月聲名狼藉，當時他們的團夥在旁遮普邦謀殺了著名旁遮普歌手兼說唱歌手西杜·穆斯瓦拉。警方稱，布拉爾涉嫌在加拿大策劃了穆斯瓦拉的謀殺案。
新德裏衝突管理研究所執行主任阿賈伊·薩尼表示，對於跨國犯罪集團而言，建立指揮鏈——甚至定義“團夥”的概念——都並非易事。“任何發生在印度的事件，都可能被身在加拿大或美國的比什諾伊團夥成員認領，反之亦然，這可以通過無法核實的社交媒體賬戶實現，”薩尼告訴半島電視台。他認為，在這種情況下，即使是針對嫌疑人的監控記錄也可能不足以作為有力的證據。足夠的法律證據。
廣告
廣告
印度前高級專員桑傑·維爾馬（Sanjay Verma）——在特魯多於2023年提出指控後被加拿大驅逐——去年表示，印度已與渥太華分享了有關布拉爾（Brar）在加拿大活動的信息。
2024年，比什諾伊（Bishnoi）的團夥聲稱對孟買班德拉地區66歲政治家巴巴·西迪克（Baba Siddique）的謀殺案負責。比什諾伊團夥的兩名成員還因在寶萊塢著名演員薩爾曼·汗（Salman Khan）位於孟買的住所外開槍而被捕。
印度旁遮普邦反黑幫特別行動組副督察長古爾米特·辛格·喬漢（Gurmeet Singh Chauhan）倡導在受比什諾伊等犯罪團夥影響的國家之間建立聯合數據共享機製。
“如果我們掌握任何證據，應該立即與加拿大同行分享，他們必須立即展開調查並及時向我們通報情況。” “犯罪就是犯罪——無論發生在世界何處，”喬漢告訴半島電視台。“有組織犯罪和恐怖主義之間隻有一線之隔。這些犯罪網絡隨時可能被用於世界任何地方的恐怖活動。”
過去兩年，比什諾伊犯罪集團還聲稱對兩名著名旁遮普歌手AP Dhillon和Gippy Grewal在不列顛哥倫比亞省的住所遇襲事件負責，其恐怖勢力已從孟買擴張至密西沙加。8月7日，一名據稱是比什諾伊犯罪集團成員的人聲稱對發生在不列顛哥倫比亞省一家咖啡館的槍擊事件負責，該咖啡館的老板是印度喜劇演員卡皮爾·沙爾馬。
印度可以
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2023年9月20日，在加拿大不列顛哥倫比亞省薩裏市的古魯納納克錫克教謁師所（Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara），一麵橫幅上印著錫克教領袖哈迪普·辛格·尼賈爾（Hardeep Singh Nijjar）的畫像。該謁師所位於薩裏市，哈迪普·辛格·尼賈爾於2023年6月在此遇害。[克裏斯·赫爾格倫/路透社]
“他們可能會處決我”
薩蒂什·庫馬爾（Satish Kumar）是一位73歲的商人，居住在不列顛哥倫比亞省薩裏市。他45年前移民加拿大，他說自己一直生活在恐懼之中。
庫馬爾是薩裏市拉克什米·納拉揚神廟（Lakshmi Narayan Temple）的主席，該神廟是印度教的重要宗教場所。
今年早些時候，他接到一個自稱是戈達拉（Godara）的男子的電話。戈達拉是比什諾伊教派的成員，他與布拉爾（Brar）一起聲稱對哈吉特（Harjit）和達諾阿（Dhanoa）的遇害負責。“他勒索我200萬加元（約合145萬美元）。”庫馬爾告訴半島電視台，並補充說他已經拉黑了這個號碼。
後來，在接到其他號碼的威脅後，他向警方報案。“他們在2025年5月28日發來多條語音留言，威脅要殺了我，還要毀壞我的店鋪，但我把這些號碼都拉黑了。”庫馬爾說。
隨後，威脅升級為槍擊。
6月7日，據稱屬於比什諾伊幫的男子向庫馬爾名下的多棟建築開槍。“這些幫派成員拍攝了我三處店鋪的槍擊過程，並將視頻發給了我，但我拒絕支付勒索金。”他說。
庫馬爾表示，他對加拿大警方的“反應遲緩”感到失望。“他們（歹徒）隨時可能殺了我。我仍然接到他們的電話。我的家人一直承受著巨大的壓力。”他告訴半島電視台。
隨著襲擊事件的升級，薩裏和布蘭普頓的南亞裔社區一直在社交媒體上發起運動，呼籲加強安全保障，並上傳了這兩個城市發生的各種槍擊事件的視頻。據卑詩省警方統計，自2003年以來，該省與幫派有關的凶殺案占所有凶殺案的比例已從21%攀升至2023年的46%。
“工作的時候，我可以暫時忘記這些幫派，”庫馬爾說，“但一旦下班，恐懼就又會湧上心頭。”
Canada murders spark calls to label India's Bishnoi gang a 'terror' group
The gang, which Canadian officials accuse of working for India, has claimed responsibility for multiple recent murders in the South Asian community.
By Gagandeep Singh Published On 8 Aug 20258 Aug 2025
On a crisp spring morning in Brampton town of Canada’s Ontario province in May, Harjit Singh Dhadda meticulously tied his traditional sage green turban as he got ready for work.
He embraced his daughter Gurleen before leaving for his trucking insurance office in Mississauga near Toronto’s bustling Pearson international airport.
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It was the last time Gurleen saw her 51-year-old father alive. As Harjit reached the car park of his office on May 14, two men confronted him. One of them pumped multiple bullets into Harjit’s body before fleeing in a stolen 2018 Dodge Challenger.
Harjit later died of his injuries at a local hospital.
Hours later, two men claimed responsibility for Harjit’s murder in a Facebook post, calling themselves members of a criminal gang led by Lawrence Bishnoi, an Indian national currently imprisoned at Sabarmati Central Jail in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
Barely a month after Harjit’s murder, a businessman in Surrey, British Columbia, and another in Harjit’s town, Brampton – both of Indian origin – were shot. Local authorities say the murders represent a disturbing expansion of criminal networks rooted in India into Canadian territory – led by India’s most notorious organised crime syndicate, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Now, a growing number of political leaders in Canada want the federal government to act, demanding that the Bishnoi gang be declared a terrorist organisation.
‘Public safety must come first’
“The terrorist designation enables police to use the necessary tools to investigate and bring this activity to an end. It gives police significant investigative tools,” British Columbia’s Premier David Eby said in a statement on June 17.
In July, his Alberta counterpart, Daniel Smith, echoed that call. “Formally designating the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity will unlock critical powers, allowing law enforcement agencies to access the necessary tools and resources needed to disrupt operations and protect our people effectively,” Smith said in a Facebook post on July 14.
Alberta’s Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said there was credible intelligence indicating the involvement of the Bishnoi gang in extortion and targeted violence in the province and elsewhere in Canada. “The gang originates from India, and ongoing investigations are examining why they are specifically targeting the South Asian community,” Ellis told Al Jazeera in a statement.
Jody Toor, a lawmaker from the Conservative Party in the British Columbia Legislature, and Brampton city Mayor Patrick Brown have also supported designating the Bishnoi gang a terrorist organisation.
The Canadian federal government has suggested that it is examining these demands. “There is precedent for criminal organisations being designated this way, and I fully support a thorough, evidence-based approach,” Secretary of State for Combating Crime Ruby Sahota told Al Jazeera. “Public safety must come first, and if a group meets the criteria, it should be listed without delay.”
Amarnath Amarasingam, a researcher on extremism and an associate professor at Queen’s University in Ontario, said that listing the Bishnoi group as a terrorist organisation would significantly broaden law enforcement powers. It would allow law enforcement agencies to pursue terrorism-related charges, criminalise recruitment or financial support for the group, seize and freeze assets, and give them greater surveillance powers.
Canadian officials had, in 2024, accused the Bishnoi gang of acting at the behest of Indian intelligence agencies to target critics of the Indian government on their soil.
“A terrorist designation would send a strong signal to India and other allies that Canada is taking the transnational threat seriously. It would also increase information-sharing opportunities with global partners,” Amarasingam told Al Jazeera. Those partners include the Five Eyes alliance, which also includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
A terrorist tag could strengthen Canadian requests for arrests through organisations like Interpol, too, he added. It could trigger sanctions against the gang, allowing the government to institute travel bans, visa denials and financial blacklisting of associates and funders.
But he warned that listing the group as a terrorist organisation could have its downsides. While clearly involved in criminal activity, the Bishnoi gang doesn’t appear to have political, religious or ideological objectives – traditionally the bar that listings have needed – he said.
“Using terrorism powers to target a group that lacks this motivation could set a dangerous precedent, weakening the credibility of Canada’s listing process and lowering the threshold, opening the door for future political misuse,” Amarasingam said.
An Indian intelligence asset?
But the Bishnoi gang is no ordinary criminal syndicate, according to Canadian officials.
In recent years, the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced allegations that its intelligence agents have been attempting to carry out targeted assassinations of Sikh separatists overseas, especially in Canada and the US.
Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs, who make up 2.1 percent of its population – their largest number outside India. Many of them moved to Canada in the 1980s when Indian forces launched a violent crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement demanding a separate Sikh homeland, Khalistan, to be carved out of the northern Indian state of Punjab. India describes such separatists as “terrorists”.
It was the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a Sikh temple on June 18, 2023, that pushed Bishnoi and his gang to the centre of a bitter diplomatic war between Canada and India.
In October that year, then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian diplomats were collecting intelligence on “Canadians who are opponents or in disagreement with the Modi government” and that the intelligence reached “criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to then result in violence against Canadians on the ground”.
Trudeau and his government directly blamed the Modi government for Nijjar’s assassination. Nijjar was a prominent supporter of a Khalistani state.
But New Delhi, while rejecting these allegations, has insisted that it has sent more than two dozen extradition requests to Canada, seeking Ottawa’s help in getting Bishnoi gang members back to India to face “due legal action”. And it says that Canada hasn’t acted on its request.
As Canada and India trade allegations, many in the Indian origin community are dealing with mounting insecurity. Could they be the next target of the Bishnoi group?
![Police photos of Aman and Digvijay, two of the men arrested for Harjit's murder [Courtesy of Peel Police, British Columbia]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Aman-and-Digvijay-1754617866.png?w=764&resize=764%2C437&quality=80)
‘Threatening call’
Over three decades, Harjit, a Sikh entrepreneur, had built a life that resembled a Canadian immigrant success story.
He ran a company called G&G Trucking Solutions – a consultancy firm that advised its clients on how to start and run a trucking company, and was a commercial insurance broker as well. His business expanded to Calgary and Edmonton, in Alberta, and he had nearly 30 employees.
Then, on December 10, 2023 – his birthday – he received a phone call from someone who identified himself as an Indian gangster, his daughter Gurleen recalled. The caller demanded 500,000 Canadian dollars ($361,000) in extortion money and threatened dire consequences if the money wasn’t paid. Harjit refused to pay and informed law enforcement authorities.
“He told me about the threatening call,” Gurleen, a 24-year-old business student at York University in Toronto, told Al Jazeera.
After the threatening call, Harjit changed his daily routine and began operating his business mostly from home. But eventually, he resumed meetings with clients in his office, his daughter said.
On May 14, Gurleen received a call from her father’s office. He had been shot.
“I rushed to the office. There were bullet casings scattered everywhere. Police had cordoned off the entire area. My father was rushed to the hospital, he later succumbed to his injuries,” said Gurleen.
Police have arrested three men – identified as Aman and Digvijay, both 21, and Shaheel, 22 – as suspects. But Harjit’s family says law enforcement have only scratched the tip of the iceberg.
“Police merely arrested three kids. But who orchestrated this? I wanted to know the man behind my father’s killing,” said Gurleen.
Meanwhile, two men – Rohit Godara and Goldy Brar – who called themselves members of the Bishnoi gang, posted on Facebook that they had killed Harjit. They claimed that Harjit had helped a rival gang and was involved in a murder in India – allegations that the family denies. Police have not confirmed whether they believe the Bishnoi gang was behind Harjit’s killing.
On June 12, 2025, another Indian-origin businessman, Satwinder Sharma, was shot in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian origin gangster, Jiwan Fauji claimed responsibility for the murder. Indian police have labelled Fauji an alleged member of Babbar Khalsa International, a banned Khalistani outfit. Sharma’s family did not respond to an Al Jazeera request for an interview.
A little over a week later, on June 20, Brampton-based businessman, MP Dhanoa, was shot down. Again, Godara and Brar claimed responsibility on behalf of the Bishnoi gang in a Facebook post.
Harjit, Sharma and Dhanoa have no known links to the Khalistani movement.
But gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi, apart from his crime network, has presented himself as a Hindu nationalist in interviews from jail, and some supporters of Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government have spoken of how the gangster had scared Khalistan supporters.
Rise to notoriety
Indian police officials say that Bishnoi, 32, controls more than 700 sharpshooters who carry out murders and extortion globally. And he does this from behind bars, shuffling between various prisons for nearly a decade now.
Bishnoi and Brar gained wide notoriety in May 2022, when the gang murdered prominent Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab. Police said Brar allegedly orchestrated Moosewala’s killing from Canada.
Ajai Sahni, executive director of the New Delhi Institute for Conflict Management, said establishing a command chain – and even defining what constitutes a gang – isn’t easy with transnational groups. “Any incident executed in India can be claimed by Bishnoi gang members in Canada or in the US, and vice versa through unverifiable social media accounts,” Sahni told Al Jazeera. He suggested that in such cases, even surveillance records against suspects might not suffice as strong enough legal evidence.
Sanjay Verma, former Indian high commissioner – Canada expelled him after Trudeau’s allegations in 2023 – said last year that India had shared information about Brar’s presence in Canada with Ottawa.
In 2024, Bishnoi’s gang claimed responsibility for the murder of a 66-year-old politician, Baba Siddique, in Mumbai’s Bandra area. Two members of the Bishnoi gang were also arrested for firing outside the Mumbai residence of popular Bollywood actor, Salman Khan.
Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, deputy inspector general of the Anti-Gangster Task Force in India’s Punjab, advocates for a joint data-sharing mechanism between countries affected by criminal gangs, like Bishnoi.
“If we have any evidence, it should be promptly shared with our Canadian counterparts, who must investigate it without delay and keep us informed. Crime is crime – no matter where it occurs in the world,” Chauhan told Al Jazeera. “There is a very thin line between organised crime and terrorism. These networks can be exploited for terrorist activities at any time, anywhere in the world.”
The Bishnoi group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on the homes of two prominent Punjabi singers, AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, in British Columbia, over the past two years, as its empire of fear has expanded from Mumbai to Mississauga. And on August 7, an alleged Bishnoi gang member claimed responsibility for gunshots fired at a cafe in British Columbia owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma.
‘They could execute me’
Satish Kumar, a 73-year-old businessman in Surrey, British Columbia who migrated to Canada 45 years ago, says he lives in constant fear.
Kumar is the president of Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Surrey, a prominent religious site for Hindus.
Earlier this year, he received a phone call from a man who identified himself as Godara, the Bishnoi associate who – along with Brar – claimed responsibility for the killings of Harjit and Dhanoa. “He demanded two million Canadian dollars [$1.45m] as extortion,” Kumar told Al Jazeera, adding that he blocked the number.
Later he reported the call to the police, after receiving threats from other numbers. “They sent multiple voice notes on May 28, 2025, threatening to kill me and harm my business premises, but I blocked the numbers”, said Kumar.
Then, the threats turned to bullets.
On June 7, men allegedly belonging to the Bishnoi gang fired shots at various buildings owned by Kumar. “The gang members filmed the shootings at three of my premises and sent me the footage, but I refused to pay extortion,” he said.
Kumar said he was frustrated with what he called an “inadequate response” by the Canadian police. “They [gangsters] could execute me at any moment. I still receive calls from them. My family is under constant stress,” he told Al Jazeera.
As attacks escalate, the South Asian community in Surrey and Brampton has been campaigning for more safety on social media, uploading videos of various shootings in the two cities. Since 2003, gang-related homicides in British Columbia have climbed from 21 percent to 46 percent of all homicides in 2023, according to the provincial police.
“During work, I can momentarily forget about these gangs,” Kumar said. “But once I finish my work, then it’s there – this fear.”
