OTTAWA: A classified Canadian police report has revealed that jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is operating a transnational criminal network from inside an Indian prison and is “acting on behalf of the Indian Government”.
The classified Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) report, obtained and published by Global News, states that Bishnoi, the head of an India-based criminal syndicate, has been directing extortion, drug trafficking and contract killings while incarcerated in India.
The report claims that the Bishnoi gang has significantly expanded its violent activities in Canada and was allegedly used to target Sikh Khalistan leaders and other perceived opponents. The disclosure comes at a sensitive moment, with India and Canada preparing to resume stalled trade negotiations.
Lawrence Bishnoi has been imprisoned since 2015 and is currently lodged in Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat. Despite his incarceration, the RCMP says that he continues to control his organisation through close associates, including Canada-based Goldy Brar, overseeing a network of nearly 700 operatives spread across India, North America, Europe and other regions.
Canadian authorities first publicly accused Indian agents of collaborating with the Bishnoi network on October 15, 2024. At the time, the RCMP said it had “significant information” linking Indian government agents to criminal activities carried out in coordination with the gang.
The RCMP has linked the network’s operations in Canada to extortion rackets, targeted shootings, money laundering and murder-for-hire schemes, warning that its growing influence poses a serious threat to public safety.
Meanwhile, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has accused successive Canadian governments of allowing extremist networks to operate freely for decades. In an interview with Canada’s public broadcaster CBC, he said Ottawa had failed to act against extremism for nearly 40 years.
Observers say the sharp exchange of allegations has further strained already tense India–Canada relations, highlighting deep mistrust and raising serious concerns over cross-border crime, state accountability and the politicization of law enforcement.
