Bishnoi gang claims 5,000 members in Canada in letter to Abbotsford Police
A letter from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, obtained by CBC News, claims 5,000 members in Canada and more guns than police, threatening businesses with a protection "tax."
Bishnoi gang letter threatens Canadian authorities and businesses with 5,000-strong network
A letter allegedly sent by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to Canadian police has revealed the scale and scope of the criminal network behind an extortion crisis targeting South Asian communities across Canada, canadianinquirer.net reports.
CBC News obtained the document through an Access to Information Act request, tied to evidence presented at an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing. The letter, addressed to the Abbotsford Police Department in British Columbia in August 2025, claimed the gang had 5,000 members in Canada and more firearms than law enforcement.
The letter threatened Canadian authorities and stated that gang members were prepared to carry out shootings for payment. It also warned business owners that they would be required to pay a so-called "tax" — protection money — regardless of their ethnicity.
The disclosure offers a more detailed picture of the extortion network that Canadian law-enforcement agencies have been investigating. Earlier testimony from an Edmonton police investigator had referenced a separate gang letter claiming more than 1,000 individuals willing to carry out shootings. The newly obtained document puts that figure at 5,000.
The letter forms part of a wider body of evidence connecting the Bishnoi network to shootings, arsons and extortion cases in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Canadian authorities have also pursued immigration and deportation proceedings against alleged members and associates of the network.
The document was linked to the case of Jashandeep Singh, an alleged Bishnoi associate who was ordered deported following an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing.
The letter has become a key piece of evidence in the broader investigation into how an India-based organized crime network allegedly established cells in Canada, recruited young operatives and used threats and violence to pressure business owners into compliance.
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)