How Bishnoi Gang Exploited Canada’s Student Visa System To Run Extortion, Hit Jobs In India
News india How Bishnoi Gang Exploited Canada’s Student Visa System To Run Extortion, Hit Jobs In India How Bishnoi Gang Exploited Canada’s Student Visa System
News india How Bishnoi Gang Exploited Canada’s Student Visa System To Run Extortion, Hit Jobs In India How Bishnoi Gang Exploited Canada’s Student Visa System To Run Extortion, Hit Jobs In India Reported By, Last Updated: August 06, 2026, 11:50 IST A classified CBSA report said 4,000 Indian study permit holders faced 17,929 charges between 2019 and 2023, while extortion charges against Indian nationals rose 47% in 2024. Rapid Read Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. (Photo: Social Media) A classified tactical guide prepared by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has revealed that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s Canadian network relied heavily on Indian nationals who entered Canada on student and temporary work visas before allegedly becoming part of organised criminal operations. The report, titled The Bishnoi Gang: An Emerging Threat in Canada and accessed by Global Times, states that senior gang leader Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, first entered Canada on a student visa to oversee the gang’s North American operations. It further states that Brar filed a refugee claim in 2019 in an attempt to secure his immigration status before later going underground.
According to the report, the gang subsequently used Canada’s foreign student and temporary worker pathways to build its network. Crime Data Raises Concerns The CBSA report states that between 2019 and 2023, around 4,000 Indian citizens on study permits were charged with 17,929 offences in Canada. It says that nearly one-third of those offences, or 4,920 cases, were linked to serious or organised crime, while 97 per cent involved violent offences. The report also highlights a sharp rise in extortion cases involving Indian nationals. While Canada’s overall extortion rate declined by 10 per cent in 2024, extortion charges against Indian nationals rose by 47 per cent during the same period. According to the report, police investigations into extortion calls targeting South Asian Canadians repeatedly identified suspects on student or work permits allegedly linked to Goldy Brar’s network. It further states that more than 13,040 criminal charges were filed in 2024 alone against Indian citizens on study visas, representing an 8,800 per cent increase compared with 2016 levels. Foreign Students Allegedly Recruited Into Criminal Networks According to the CBSA report, gang leaders exploited Canada’s “honour-based" and loosely screened foreign student intake to recruit vulnerable young arrivals in hubs such as Brampton, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta.
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