A classified intelligence report by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has revealed that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang systematically exploited Canada’s international student visa and work permit programmes to recruit vulnerable youth for its transnational extortion and violent crime network.The report, titled “The Bishnoi Gang: An Emerging Threat in Canada”, was circulated among immigration officers in December 2025 as a tactical guide to help authorities counter the gang’s growing activities targeting Canada’s South Asian communities.According to the report, the gang increasingly used Canada’s immigration pathways to recruit operatives and strengthen its presence in North America. Besides high-profile killings, extortion threats and shootings have emerged as the Bishnoi gang’s principal criminal enterprise in Canada.The report, made public during recent court proceedings, stated that after the murder of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023, the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder of Sukhdul Singh Gill, alias Sukha Duneke, in September in Canada’s Winnipeg. Both Nijjar and Duneke were wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).The report alleged that after Nijjar’s killing, the gang gained notoriety. The gang members began targeting Indian business owners through WhatsApp calls and messages, demanding millions of dollars. Those refusing to pay allegedly faced shootings at their homes, restaurants, shops or other business establishments.In several cases, attackers reportedly filmed the incidents and uploaded videos to social media while claiming responsibility in the gang’s name to intimidate other potential victims.The report detailed the case of Abhijeet Kingra, who had arrived in Canada on a student visa in 2018 and later became a shooter for the Bishnoi gang. At his deportation hearing, he stated that he was struggling financially.Following this, he was allegedly lured into carrying out a shooting in exchange for 4,000 Canadian dollars. In September 2024, he fired 14 rounds at the home of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon in Colwood, British Columbia, while his accomplice set fire to vehicles parked outside.The report identified Goldy Brar, a close associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, as the architect of the strategy.The FBI added Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, to its most-wanted list and offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. A federal arrest warrant was issued in Los Angeles on July 1 for racketeering, extortion and drug trafficking charges tied to the Bishnoi group.According to the CBSA, Brar entered Canada in 2017 on a student visa, claiming he would study at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia. The intelligence assessment indicated that Brar began recruiting young Indian nationals, especially from Edmonton and Brampton, into the gang’s criminal network. Most of the recruits were students from Punjab facing financial hardship or unemployment.Investigators also found that several extortion threats were issued by others using Brar’s name to enhance the credibility of the intimidation.The intelligence assessment also claimed that crimes involving Indian student permit holders increased sharply between 2016 and 2024. Between 2019 and 2023, approximately 4,000 Indians who had entered Canada on study permits were charged with a total of 17,929 offences. Of these, 4,920 charges were classified as serious or related to organised crime. The report further stated that more than 13,040 criminal charges were levelled in 2024 against Indian citizens in Canada on study visas.