B.C. premier to ask prime minister to declare India's Bishnoi gang a terrorist group

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 5:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Just days aft a nationalist information forum took place in Surrey, B.C., to code transgression targeting South Asian concern owners, Premier David Eby said helium wants a pack based successful India declared a violent enactment successful Canada.

Police person said members of the South Asian assemblage are being extorted of currency nether menace of decease oregon unit and the Lawrence Bishnoi pack has been linked to immoderate of those threats. 

There person been 10 extortion reports successful Surrey unsocial implicit the past six months, according to section police. Some of those investigations "go beyond borders," Chief Const. Norm Lipinski said. 

Eby said it's an contented of immense interest successful B.C., but besides successful Alberta and Ontario, wherever gangs from India are operating. 

He said Tuesday that he would constitute to Prime Minister Mark Carney to inquire that the pack beryllium fixed the violent designation "to alteration constabulary to beryllium capable to usage the indispensable tools to investigate." 

The national authorities took akin enactment against 7 transgression organizations, including cartels and thoroughfare gangs progressive successful fentanyl trafficking. Among them are the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels, two of Mexico's largest and astir powerful organized transgression groups.

Community members gathered successful Surrey past play to speech astir extortion and nationalist safety. 

Surrey businessman Satish Kumar said helium has received threats demanding $2 million, and businesses he's associated with person been targets of gunfire 3 times successful caller weeks.

WATCH | Satish Kumar holds nationalist information forum: 

Canadian constabulary sources person told CBC News that the Bishnoi pack is 1 of a fig of transgression enterprises in bluish India that person dispersed into North America successful caller years. The group's founder, 32-year-old Lawrence Bishnoi, has been successful Indian prisons since 2014.

Indian media outlets person described extortion arsenic 1 of the the gang's biggest sources of income, some astatine location and abroad.