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Police Say Bishnoi Letter Claimed 1,000 Shooters Ready to Enforce Extortion in Canada

Officers told a tribunal the claim highlights how transnational gangs recruit recent students and temporary workers to run extortion and violence networks against South Asian communities, increasing pressure on national investigators.

Overview

  • A deportation hearing heard police testimony that a letter sent in August 2025 to an Abbotsford police station claimed the Bishnoi network had more than 1,000 people willing to carry out shootings to enforce extortion demands.
  • Investigators told the Immigration and Refugee Board that activity linked to the Bishnoi name in Canada is fragmented across at least three factions associated with Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, and a figure identified as Jora Sidhu.
  • Police say everyone identified so far in the probe has been a recent temporary foreign worker or international student used as a money mule, enforcer, or shooter, and that extortion messages are typically delivered over WhatsApp.
  • FINTRAC analysis and police reporting show multiple crime groups, including the rival Bambiha gang and copycat actors, are exploiting the gangs’ reputations to run protection 'tax' schemes and coordinated intimidation.
  • Federal and local authorities are investigating under efforts such as Project AI-Extortion with RCMP coordination and Canada’s 2025 terrorist-entity designation of the Bishnoi group shaping criminal, immigration, and financial probes that will affect vulnerable community members.