The Bishnoi Gang Crisis: How Student Visas Became a Gateway for Organized Crime in Canada

Canada has long been praised for its welcoming immigration policies, but a disturbing trend is emerging. A classified intelligence report from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has revealed a systemic vulnerability: the exploitation of student visas by one of India’s most notorious criminal organizations—the Bishnoi gang.

What was designed as a pathway for education has, in some cases, become a tactical entry point for high-level criminals to establish a North American franchise of organized crime, leading to a spike in extortion, violence, and political instability.

The Architecture of Infiltration: The Role of Goldy Brar

The expansion of the Bishnoi gang into Canada is not accidental. At the centre of this operation is Goldy Brar, a top lieutenant of the gang’s leader, Lawrence Bishnoi. Brar arrived in Canada in 2017 under the guise of attending Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. However, records suggest his academic pursuits were a mere front.

Instead of attending lectures, Brar allegedly focused on expanding the gang’s reach, orchestrating high-profile murders and an extortion crisis that has left many South Asian Canadians living in fear. By leveraging the “honour-based” nature of the foreign student program, the gang successfully imported leadership and recruited a foot-soldier workforce from among vulnerable international students.

A Shocking Surge in Organized Crime

The statistics provided by the CBSA are staggering. While overall extortion rates in Canada saw a slight dip in 2024, the number of Indian citizens charged with extortion surged by 47%. Even more alarming is the long-term trend: crimes committed by Indian student permit holders soared by a massive 8,800% between 2016 and 2024.

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• Volume of Charges: Between 2019 and 2023, approximately 4,000 Indian citizens on study permits were charged with nearly 18,000 offences.
• Severity: Roughly one-third of these charges were linked to serious or organized crime, with 97% of those being violent in nature.
• Recruitment: The gang targets students who are struggling financially or lack support systems, offering quick money to carry out shootings and intimidation tactics.

From Extortion to Geopolitical Tension

The activities of the Bishnoi gang have transcended local crime, bleeding into international diplomacy. The murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., has highlighted a potential overlap between organized criminal networks and state-linked actors. The CBSA report suggests that the gang may have been used to surveil and intimidate critics of the Indian government.

This “public safety crisis,” as described by criminology experts, has turned cities like Brampton, Edmonton, and Surrey into battlegrounds for rival groups, including the so-called “Ruffians,” who also emerged from the student community.

The Policy Failure: A “Perfect Storm”

Criminologists argue that the Canadian government’s lax screening process created a “perfect storm.” By prioritizing high numbers of international students without adequate security vetting, the government inadvertently opened the door for the Bishnoi gang to establish a foothold.

While the government has since capped foreign student visas, citing housing pressures, the CBSA report suggests that security should have been the primary driver for reform long ago. For more information on how Canada manages border security, you can visit the official Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) website.

Looking Ahead: The Fight Against Foreign Gangs

Currently, the RCMP is leading Project SEVA, a task force dedicated to disrupting foreign actor interference linked to India. With Lawrence Bishnoi directing operations from an Indian prison and the FBI offering rewards for Goldy Brar’s arrest, the battle against this transnational gang is far from over.

For Canada to reclaim its safety, experts argue that a shift from “honour-based” immigration to a rigorous, intelligence-led screening process is no longer optional—it is a necessity for national security.

To stay updated on public safety and law enforcement efforts in Canada, follow the latest reports from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).