Notorious crime boss becomes key figure in feud between India and Canada

(Bloomberg) — As diplomatic ties between India and Canada deteriorate over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, the spotlight now turns to one of India’s most notorious gangsters.

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Canadian police earlier this month accused Lawrence Bishnoi of working with Indian government agents to kill and harass members of Canada’s Sikh diaspora. This comes in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations last year that New Delhi was involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen – claims that India has strongly denied. Trudeau’s government has upped the ante in recent weeks, expelling India’s top diplomat in Canada after he refused to be questioned about the case.

Bishnoi’s alleged involvement highlights what Canada says is the long arm of India’s criminal underworld and its ability to commit violence far from home. Bishnoi, in his early 30s, heads “one of the most feared terror syndicates” in South Asia, according to India’s Federal Counter-Terrorism Agency. His gang, described in Indian court files, numbers about 700 people and includes suspected militants and drug runners in Canada, the US and the United Arab Emirates.

Trudeau’s government says Bishnoi worked with Indian officials to target dissidents abroad, particularly Sikh activists living in Canada who support the creation of an ethno-religious homeland in India called Khalistan. Canada had been investigating the Indian government’s involvement in the shooting last year of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian separatist activist considered a terrorist by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. New Delhi has repeatedly rejected allegations that officials were involved in the attack.

In the past, Bishnoi has been linked to militant Sikh groups, which is ironic considering he is now accused of targeting Canadians campaigning for Khalistan. He and his gang have had strong ties to Sikh separatist elements, some of whom operate from Pakistan, court documents show. India’s federal counter-terrorism body also alleged that Bishnoi and his associates were involved in the prison escape of a suspected Khalistani separatist in 2016 and that they attacked a police facility in the northern state of Punjab in 2022 with sophisticated weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades.

Bishnoi has spent about a decade behind bars in India, convicted of various crimes dating back to 2010, when he was charged with trespassing with intent to assault with a weapon, court documents show.

He has built a social media presence by airing grievances with famous Punjabi singers, Bollywood actors and Indian politicians. Over the years, his fan-made videos on YouTube and Instagram have racked up hundreds of thousands of likes.

Canada’s accusations

Terminder Singh, a lawyer representing Bishnoi in Punjab, declined to comment on Canada’s allegations. “These allegations have not been properly investigated,” he said. “It is difficult to explain how a man in prison organizes attacks or extorts money.”

Canada has not yet released evidence linking Indian officials to Bishnoi. Trudeau has said his government only made the allegations public after a lengthy behind-the-scenes effort to handle the matter diplomatically was rebuffed by Indian officials.

In its rebuttals, India has highlighted the lack of information in the public domain. Randhir Jaiswal, a foreign ministry spokesman, said New Delhi also has a track record of distancing itself from Bishnoi, including by asking Canada to extradite members of his gang living in the country.

“We informed Canada about them several years ago and recently,” Jaiswal told reporters earlier this month. “There has been no response from Canada.”

Although Bishnoi is currently imprisoned in the state of Gujarat, some Indian officials still believe he is capable of engaging in criminal activities. India’s federal counter-terrorism agency – the National Investigative Agency – told a court filing last year that Bishnoi is so adept at operating from his cell that he has not felt the need to apply for bail.

Criminal syndicate

Born in Dutranwali — a small town in Punjab near the India-Pakistan border — Bishnoi grew up in a relatively wealthy family, said Indian police officials, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing investigations. Court documents show that Bishnoi’s first brush with the law is related to his time as a student, when he shot a political rival.

According to Indian court documents, Bishnoi began building his criminal syndicate in 2013. By his early 20s, he had already been named in nearly a dozen criminal cases. In 2022, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for the death of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, a development that catapulted him to the front pages of Indian newspapers. The Bishnoi gang also took credit on social media for last month’s shooting of politician Baba Siddique.

An Indian police officer, who asked not to be named to discuss classified information, said Bishnoi is fond of his carefully cultivated image as a “patriotic gangster” and dark hero who commits crime to right wrongs. Bishnoi is a gun for hire – murderous, extortionate and threatening for profit, the officer said.

Connections between the Indian political establishment and local criminal groups – including Bishnoi’s – are not unheard of. Last December, Delhi Police arrested a former Indian intelligence agent for allegedly extorting money from a businessman on behalf of Bishnoi. The agent, Vikas Yadav, is also wanted in the US for trying to kill a US citizen active in promoting a breakaway state for Sikhs, who mainly populate Punjab in northern India.

Yadav’s lawyer RK Handoo said the case was “false and the allegations baseless.”

Under previous administrations, high-level committees have warned of a link between the underworld and politicians, including coordinating attacks in South Asia. What is new, however, is potentially striking in countries like the US, Canada and Australia – wealthy Western democracies that view India as a strategic partner.

While Canada and India continue to trade barbs, Modi has refrained from public comment. But during election rallies, India’s prime minister has credited his government with pursuing and eliminating suspected criminals in other countries. It is a subject that former Indian Prime Ministers generally avoided.

“Under this strong government, our troops have killed terrorists on their own turf,” Modi said at a recent political rally in the Jammu and Kashmir region.