TORONTO: The Canadian police has said the Lawrence Bishnoi gang sent a letter to it last year claiming it had more than "1,000 individuals willing to carry out shootings" in the country as part of its extortion operations targeting the South Asian diaspora, according to a media report.
The letter was delivered on August 13, 2025, to a police station in Abbotsford in British Columbia, Canadian broadcaster Global News reported on Thursday.
The matter came to light during a deportation hearing when Edmonton Police Service Constable Kevin St Louis elaborated on the content of the letter while testifying before the Immigration and Refugee Board.
“Police actually received a letter addressed to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang that was sent to a police station,” St Louis told the Immigration and Refugee Board.
“This specific letter outlined essentially their criminal organisation, where they talked about having upwards of 1,000 individuals who are willing to carry out these shootings as a part of the group,” he was quoted as saying by Global News.
"It also alludes to how every business needs to pay its tax, which I think clearly demonstrates the monetary gain that this group is looking to obtain as a result of these extortions,” St Louis reportedly told the Board.
The news report further said that the Abbotsford Police Department confirmed receiving the letter.
"Details of this letter were shared with our law enforcement partners engaged in combating the extortion crisis across Canada,” Sergeant Paul Walker told Global News.
“Detectives working in our internal AbbyPD extortion task force (Operation Community Shield) began to investigate the origin of this letter and the contents spoken about within,” he added.
The person whose deportation hearing was underway before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Thursday is suspected to be a member of an Edmonton-based extortion gang linked to violence in at least three Canadian provinces.
Appearing as a witness, officer St Louis, who is the member of an investigating group focussing on organised crime, gave a rare briefing on the Bishnoi gang, which was named a designated terrorist group in Canada last year.
Bishnoi, who has been in custody in India for around a decade, was one of the country’s most wanted criminals and is believed to be operating an international syndicate remotely from behind the bars.
The group has set off a “crime wave” targeting South Asians either living or doing business in Canada, the news report added.
To extort money, the Bishnoi gang usually relies on Indian nationals in Canada, who are paid “small” amounts to conduct shootings, St Louis reportedly testified.
“I think a lot of them look at it as kind of being a part of an organisation or a group,” he told the Immigration and Refugee Board, adding that a lot of them are scouted from schools. “What we often see with criminal organisations and gangs is that it kind of gives you that feeling of being involved and a sense of community when you are with this specific group.”
The extortion gangs reportedly contact South Asian individuals and business owners to demand large sums of money. If they do not pay, their homes and businesses are sprayed with gunfire. The demands for money are often made over WhatsApp, usually referencing Bishnoi or his former close associate Goldy Brar.
“The one consistent name actually making the extortions was Jora Sidhu,” St Louis told the court. “We believe that Jora Sidhu was actually not in Canada while making these demands via WhatsApp.”
“That being said, we believe he was the primary individual who would take care of communications for these extortions,” the officer testified, adding the police identified him through voice-matching.
Copycat groups have also emerged, he testified, capitalising on the fear of extortion gangs. But while they name-drop the Bishnoi gang and its leaders, they usually do not conduct shootings.
The officer added that provinces with large Canadian-Sikh populations have been worst-hit, notably British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.