July 27, 2025 • 8 mins
The fight against the targeting of Canada's South Asian diasporas by the Bishnoi and Brothers Keepers gangs and others. The threat is real and the solution complex. Watch the July 28 episode of PERSPECTIVES ON SATLUJ TV for more on this story.
#extortion #crimenews #truecrime #justice #courtsystem #Canada #Sikhs #Hindus #diasporas #gangactivity #news #violence #headlines #bishnoigang #brotherskeepers #Canadanews #transnationalcrime #vancouver #Surrey #Toronto #Brampton #Edmonton #Calgary #Winnipeg #india #SouthAsian #rcmp #peelregionpolice #surreypoliceservice #lawenforcement
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
OK, let's dive in. Imagine this for a second.
You're a successful business owner, maybe in Metro Vancouver.
You get a voicemail, someone asking for money.
You think it's probably a prank,right?
Delete then crack gunfire aimed at your family home.
Suddenly, that whole idea of theCanadian dream just chatters.
(00:21):
Yeah, for one man it became, andthis is his quote, a waking
nightmare, he said. My children are afraid.
My mom and dad are very afraid. It's chilling and that story
really sets the stage. This isn't just some isolated
thing. We're looking at what feels like
a new wave, a really violent, coordinated wave of extortion.
It's hitting Canada's South Asian diaspora hard.
(00:42):
Brampton, Edmonton, Surrey. It's spreading.
Right. So today, in this deep drive, we
want to unpack that, look at thewell, the surprisingly
sophisticated methods these criminal rings are using.
Yeah, they're playbook. Exactly.
Understand how wide this really goes nationally, yeah.
And then explore the the really complex challenges facing
police, facing diplomacy. It's it's a lot more tangled
(01:03):
than you might think. It really is.
And that sophistication you mentioned, it's key.
These aren't, you know, low level thugs acting randomly.
OK, they often start with encrypted messages, maybe
WhatsApp using Punjabi or Hindi.But the scary part?
They know things. Like what kind of?
Things like detailed things, your address, your business
name, maybe even your family members names.
(01:24):
It's designed to make you feel completely exposed, you know,
right from the start. Wow.
OK, so they've got this deeply personal info, they make
contact. What's the actual demand?
What are they asking? For it boils down to protection
money. Yeah, be a few $1000.
Could be. Well, in one case in BC, they
apparently asked for 2,000,000. Two million.
Yeah. And if you refuse or maybe go to
(01:46):
the police, the escalation is fast and it's brutal.
And like we said, consistent. We see the same tactics again
and again. Drive by shootings, targeting
homes, targeting businesses. Arson is another big one,
especially setting fire to new homes under construction.
Edmonton seen 10s of millions indamages just from that.
(02:06):
And that threat isn't empty. Harjeet Tada, a business man in
Mississauga. He refused a $500,000 demand.
He reported it and in May 2025 he was murdered.
Right, that sent absolute shockwaves that made it
horrifyingly real for everyone. The ultimate price for defiance.
So it's clear this isn't just a Peel Region problem or just a
(02:27):
Surrey problem. You mentioned Edmonton too.
This is really coast to coast, isn't it?
Absolutely. You look at the hotspots, the
patterns are, while they're nearly identical in Surrey, BC,
I think there were over 19 casesjust in 2025.
They set up a joint force operation at JFO, but then you
had this frustration, you know, suspects getting arrested and
then released really quickly, sometimes without charges.
(02:48):
That happened in July 2025. Hmm.
Then Edmonton, AB, they had Project Gaslight tackling like
30-4 incidents linked to a groupcalled Brothers Keepers.
But then boom, a resurgence. 6 new incidents by June 2025, this
time linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi.
Gang and Ontario, Peel Region. Same story, different task
force. Their ETF Extortion
(03:08):
Investigative Task Force startedDecember 2023.
They're looking at over 60 casesand Project Outsource back in
June 2025 that led to 18 arrests, nearly 100 charges,
million seized, and they even found links to insurance fraud
in that. One.
So the methods, the demands the escalation.
Yeah, it's basically the same script being run in different.
(03:30):
Provinces, exactly that uniformity.
It screams coordination. It points to a well, like a
national campaign, almost like acriminal franchise operation.
It's it's pretty unprecedented in its scale here.
And to really grasp it, you haveto look even further afield
outside Canada. Yeah.
Yeah. All roads seem to lead back, or
at least many of them, to this figure.
Lawrence Bishnoi, He's, what, 31?
(03:51):
And allegedly, he's running thistransnational criminal empire
using smuggled phones from inside an Indian prison.
From prison. That sounds like something out
of a movie. So it's like this, this dark
kind of modern franchise. That's a good way to put it.
You have Bishnoi, maybe key lieutenants like Goldie Brar,
who's been linked to Canada. They act as the sort of board of
(04:11):
directors. They set the strategy, manage
the brand if you will. And the people carrying out the
shootings, the arson. They seem to be more like local
foot soldiers, often young men, sometimes recruited right from
the communities they're terrorizing.
Like there was this case he touched Bansal, an employee
caught extorting his own boss. Disposable assets, basically.
(04:33):
But is every extortion attempt directly ordered by Bishnoi?
That's a good point. Probably not.
Experts think some might be copycats, you know, smaller
criminals just using Bishnoi's name and reputation because it
inspires so much fear. But for the victim, does it
really matter who ordered it? The terror is the same.
And the police trying to stop this, they're facing a nightmare
(04:53):
of their own, aren't. They oh, it's an incredible
Yeah. They're terrified of
retaliation. I mean, look at Harjit data.
Plus you sometimes have a preexisting mistrust of police,
maybe carried over from back home and cultural factors too.
Like is that family honor or Sheram shame that make people
hesitant to report? OK, so silence is one problem.
What? Else Then there's the
(05:14):
frustration with the justice system.
The so-called revolving door suspects get arrested.
Like in Surrey. Exactly.
And then they're released, oftenquickly, maybe within 24 hours,
sometimes without charges. It's incredibly hard to build a
solid case, one that meets the beyond a reasonable doubt
standard, especially when it crosses international borders.
Which leads to the. Third problem, fighting a
(05:36):
transnational ghost, essentiallythat command and control miles
away, evidence scattered, getting meaningful,
international cooperation hugelychallenging.
And this is where it gets even more complicated.
Politically explosive. Even the RCMP statement from
October 2024, that was unprecedented.
It really was. They directly linked, quote,
(05:56):
agents of the Government of India to some of these violent
acts and to using organized crime here on Canadian soil.
This came after the Prime Minister's comments about
credible allegations concerning Hardeep Singh Najar's murder.
And India's reaction? Flat denials, calling the claims
preposterous, counter accusations that Canada is
sheltering criminals, ignoring extradition requests.
(06:18):
It's created this catastrophic diplomatic freeze.
Which must paralyze police operation right when it's needed
most. Completely.
It makes that already difficult task of tackling A transnational
network almost impossible. So given all this, there's this
growing call, especially from politicians like the premiers
and BC and Alberta to just labelthe Lawrence Bishnoi gang a
(06:41):
terrorist organization. Use anti terror laws.
Right. The idea is that this would
unlock more powerful legal tools, maybe help get around
some of those standard criminal procedure.
Hurdle is that that simple? Well, experts are divided some
or it could be seen as a political ploy.
Others worry it might actually backfire.
Give Bishnoi a kind of public relations coup.
(07:02):
You know, make him seem even more powerful or notorious.
And it wouldn't exactly help thaw relations with India, would
it? Likely the opposite.
It could make the diplomatic situation even worse, further
hindering the very internationalcooperation that's needed to
actually dismantle the network. It's a real catch 22.
So when you step back, what we're seeing is it's incredibly
(07:23):
complex. It's St. crime, yes, but it's
also this sophisticated global enterprise.
There are deep challenges in policing and now this massive
geopolitical storm layered on. TOP Exactly.
There's no silver bullet here. It needs a sustained effort on
multiple fronts. Breaking that wall of silence is
critical. Community outreach.
Things like BC Crime Stoppers are important there.
(07:44):
We need to keep strengthening those integrated police task
forces. We probably need a clearer
national strategy just for dealing with transnational
organized crime in general. But honestly, the biggest piece
finding some way to resolve the diplomatic standoff with India.
Without that cooperation, A lasting solution feels, well,
very far. Off it leaves you thinking the
(08:05):
Canadian dream for so many in this community feels like it's
under direct assault. What's it truly going to take to
defend it, not just for them, but really for the integrity of
Canada's own security and our justice system?
Something to definitely keep thinking about.
OK, let's dive in. Imagine this for a second.
You're a successful business owner, maybe in Metro Vancouver.
You get a voicemail, someone asking for money.
You think it's probably a prank,right?
Delete then crack gunfire aimed at your family home.
Suddenly, that whole idea of theCanadian dream just chatters.
(00:21):
Yeah, for one man it became, andthis is his quote, a waking
nightmare, he said. My children are afraid.
My mom and dad are very afraid. It's chilling and that story
really sets the stage. This isn't just some isolated
thing. We're looking at what feels like
a new wave, a really violent, coordinated wave of extortion.
It's hitting Canada's South Asian diaspora hard.
(00:42):
Brampton, Edmonton, Surrey. It's spreading.
Right. So today, in this deep drive, we
want to unpack that, look at thewell, the surprisingly
sophisticated methods these criminal rings are using.
Yeah, they're playbook. Exactly.
Understand how wide this really goes nationally, yeah.
And then explore the the really complex challenges facing
police, facing diplomacy. It's it's a lot more tangled
(01:03):
than you might think. It really is.
And that sophistication you mentioned, it's key.
These aren't, you know, low level thugs acting randomly.
OK, they often start with encrypted messages, maybe
WhatsApp using Punjabi or Hindi.But the scary part?
They know things. Like what kind of?
Things like detailed things, your address, your business
name, maybe even your family members names.
(01:24):
It's designed to make you feel completely exposed, you know,
right from the start. Wow.
OK, so they've got this deeply personal info, they make
contact. What's the actual demand?
What are they asking? For it boils down to protection
money. Yeah, be a few $1000.
Could be. Well, in one case in BC, they
apparently asked for 2,000,000. Two million.
Yeah. And if you refuse or maybe go to
(01:46):
the police, the escalation is fast and it's brutal.
And like we said, consistent. We see the same tactics again
and again. Drive by shootings, targeting
homes, targeting businesses. Arson is another big one,
especially setting fire to new homes under construction.
Edmonton seen 10s of millions indamages just from that.
(02:06):
And that threat isn't empty. Harjeet Tada, a business man in
Mississauga. He refused a $500,000 demand.
He reported it and in May 2025 he was murdered.
Right, that sent absolute shockwaves that made it
horrifyingly real for everyone. The ultimate price for defiance.
So it's clear this isn't just a Peel Region problem or just a
(02:27):
Surrey problem. You mentioned Edmonton too.
This is really coast to coast, isn't it?
Absolutely. You look at the hotspots, the
patterns are, while they're nearly identical in Surrey, BC,
I think there were over 19 casesjust in 2025.
They set up a joint force operation at JFO, but then you
had this frustration, you know, suspects getting arrested and
then released really quickly, sometimes without charges.
(02:48):
That happened in July 2025. Hmm.
Then Edmonton, AB, they had Project Gaslight tackling like
30-4 incidents linked to a groupcalled Brothers Keepers.
But then boom, a resurgence. 6 new incidents by June 2025, this
time linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi.
Gang and Ontario, Peel Region. Same story, different task
force. Their ETF Extortion
(03:08):
Investigative Task Force startedDecember 2023.
They're looking at over 60 casesand Project Outsource back in
June 2025 that led to 18 arrests, nearly 100 charges,
million seized, and they even found links to insurance fraud
in that. One.
So the methods, the demands the escalation.
Yeah, it's basically the same script being run in different.
(03:30):
Provinces, exactly that uniformity.
It screams coordination. It points to a well, like a
national campaign, almost like acriminal franchise operation.
It's it's pretty unprecedented in its scale here.
And to really grasp it, you haveto look even further afield
outside Canada. Yeah.
Yeah. All roads seem to lead back, or
at least many of them, to this figure.
Lawrence Bishnoi, He's, what, 31?
(03:51):
And allegedly, he's running thistransnational criminal empire
using smuggled phones from inside an Indian prison.
From prison. That sounds like something out
of a movie. So it's like this, this dark
kind of modern franchise. That's a good way to put it.
You have Bishnoi, maybe key lieutenants like Goldie Brar,
who's been linked to Canada. They act as the sort of board of
(04:11):
directors. They set the strategy, manage
the brand if you will. And the people carrying out the
shootings, the arson. They seem to be more like local
foot soldiers, often young men, sometimes recruited right from
the communities they're terrorizing.
Like there was this case he touched Bansal, an employee
caught extorting his own boss. Disposable assets, basically.
(04:33):
But is every extortion attempt directly ordered by Bishnoi?
That's a good point. Probably not.
Experts think some might be copycats, you know, smaller
criminals just using Bishnoi's name and reputation because it
inspires so much fear. But for the victim, does it
really matter who ordered it? The terror is the same.
And the police trying to stop this, they're facing a nightmare
(04:53):
of their own, aren't. They oh, it's an incredible
Yeah. They're terrified of
retaliation. I mean, look at Harjit data.
Plus you sometimes have a preexisting mistrust of police,
maybe carried over from back home and cultural factors too.
Like is that family honor or Sheram shame that make people
hesitant to report? OK, so silence is one problem.
What? Else Then there's the
(05:14):
frustration with the justice system.
The so-called revolving door suspects get arrested.
Like in Surrey. Exactly.
And then they're released, oftenquickly, maybe within 24 hours,
sometimes without charges. It's incredibly hard to build a
solid case, one that meets the beyond a reasonable doubt
standard, especially when it crosses international borders.
Which leads to the. Third problem, fighting a
(05:36):
transnational ghost, essentiallythat command and control miles
away, evidence scattered, getting meaningful,
international cooperation hugelychallenging.
And this is where it gets even more complicated.
Politically explosive. Even the RCMP statement from
October 2024, that was unprecedented.
It really was. They directly linked, quote,
(05:56):
agents of the Government of India to some of these violent
acts and to using organized crime here on Canadian soil.
This came after the Prime Minister's comments about
credible allegations concerning Hardeep Singh Najar's murder.
And India's reaction? Flat denials, calling the claims
preposterous, counter accusations that Canada is
sheltering criminals, ignoring extradition requests.
(06:18):
It's created this catastrophic diplomatic freeze.
Which must paralyze police operation right when it's needed
most. Completely.
It makes that already difficult task of tackling A transnational
network almost impossible. So given all this, there's this
growing call, especially from politicians like the premiers
and BC and Alberta to just labelthe Lawrence Bishnoi gang a
(06:41):
terrorist organization. Use anti terror laws.
Right. The idea is that this would
unlock more powerful legal tools, maybe help get around
some of those standard criminal procedure.
Hurdle is that that simple? Well, experts are divided some
or it could be seen as a political ploy.
Others worry it might actually backfire.
Give Bishnoi a kind of public relations coup.
(07:02):
You know, make him seem even more powerful or notorious.
And it wouldn't exactly help thaw relations with India, would
it? Likely the opposite.
It could make the diplomatic situation even worse, further
hindering the very internationalcooperation that's needed to
actually dismantle the network. It's a real catch 22.
So when you step back, what we're seeing is it's incredibly
(07:23):
complex. It's St. crime, yes, but it's
also this sophisticated global enterprise.
There are deep challenges in policing and now this massive
geopolitical storm layered on. TOP Exactly.
There's no silver bullet here. It needs a sustained effort on
multiple fronts. Breaking that wall of silence is
critical. Community outreach.
Things like BC Crime Stoppers are important there.
(07:44):
We need to keep strengthening those integrated police task
forces. We probably need a clearer
national strategy just for dealing with transnational
organized crime in general. But honestly, the biggest piece
finding some way to resolve the diplomatic standoff with India.
Without that cooperation, A lasting solution feels, well,
very far. Off it leaves you thinking the
(08:05):
Canadian dream for so many in this community feels like it's
under direct assault. What's it truly going to take to
defend it, not just for them, but really for the integrity of
Canada's own security and our justice system?
Something to definitely keep thinking about.
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