Interim Edmonton Police Chief Devin Laforce said the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) appreciates the province’s call for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization in Canada. Read More
The alleged extortion ring operating in Edmonton, B.C. and around the country is a terrorist organization, Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said Monday.
The alleged extortion ring operating in Edmonton, B.C. and around the country is a terrorist organization, Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said Monday.
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Interim Edmonton Police Chief Devin Laforce said the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) appreciates the province’s call for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization in Canada.
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“Edmonton is not immune to the impacts of transnational crime. We agree with the Government of Alberta that this designation will provide the EPS and its law enforcement partners with enhanced powers and investigative tools that will help us continue to dismantle organized crime groups and criminal activity on our streets,” Laforce said in a statement to Postmedia on Monday.
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The alleged extortion ring operating in Edmonton, B.C. and around the country is a terrorist organization, Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said Monday, calling on Ottawa to call the “global and violent” group a terrorist organization.
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The leader of the northern India-based gang has been imprisoned in India for 11 years, but is still suspected of pulling the strings on a transnational criminal network responsible for violence, extortion, drug trafficking and targeted killings, including in Canada, the government statement said.
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“Its reach is global, and its intent is criminal and violent,” said the joint statement.
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Alberta Justice stands with B.C. Premier David Eby and other officials across Canada in calling for immediate federal action, the statement said, calling on the federal government to use every tool available to dismantle the network and keep Canadians safe, adding that gang activity knows no boundaries and respects no borders, and Alberta wants to send a clear message that it’s not welcome here.
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“Formally designating the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity will unlock critical powers, allowing provincial and municipal-level law enforcement agencies to access the necessary tools and resources needed to effectively disrupt operations and protect our people,” Smith said, adding that South Asian communities in Alberta have been disproportionately targeted and affected by the gang.
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In June 2025, The Canadian Press reported RCMP have alleged Indian diplomats shared information about Sikh separatists in Canada with the Indian government and that top Indian officials then passed the information to the Bishnoi Gang.
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India’s counterterrorism law enforcement agency, the National Investigation Agency, has said Lawrence Bishnoi operates his terror-syndicate from jails in different states of India and through an associate in Canada.