Latest news with #LawrenceBishnoi
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Extortions exposed: Edmonton police hold town hall on criminals targeting South Asian community
Article content 'Make no mistake, if we close down one avenue, there's another one that usually opens up. So they're always evolving in organized crime, and we have to evolve with that,' said Staff Sgt. Marco Antonio. Article content 'They might be looking to utilize similar techniques, thinking that they'll be luckier.' Article content A popular new U.S.-based phone app, in the cellphones of criminals from as far away as Europe and India, WhatsApp becomes a weapon letting a second string of criminals hide behind anonymity, even as they expose and exploit the personal information of their victims. Article content That meant law enforcement agencies across the country and around the world had to work with technology to go against the perpetrators. Article content Links to Lawrence Bishnoi gang Article content Agencies and multiple levels of governments are seeking new tools to ferret out international actors in the schemes —including seeking a terrorist designation for an organization known as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, led by a marginally imprisoned kingpin credited with masterminding a criminal network from behind bars in India for more than a decade. Article content Article content The label will provide additional financial and legal avenues for striking back at the shadowy organization which is suspected in Edmonton's investigation. Article content 'We know there is a connection here. We know that our complainants who have come forward have mentioned the name in a couple of the cases, so we're actively working on that part not only with the RCMP, but our ALERT partners too, in Alberta,' Gill said. Article content 'I think what we can say is that we knew that there was communications occurring between the Bishnoi group and some of the individuals involved in the project,' said interim EPS Chief Warren Driechel. Article content 'We don't necessarily know what was being controlled there, but there was definitely communication between the suspects in Project Gaslight.' Article content Those questioning the panel were guaranteed privacy, and that was a top concern for a number of people in the audience Monday. Article content Article content 'I know from a community standpoint, sometimes that trust piece can be difficult, and there could be a variety of different reasons for people not wanting to come forward to police. I get that part,' Gill told the group. Article content 'But if we don't know about it, it becomes incredibly tough to investigate.' Article content With help from the lessons of Project Gaslight, EPS has vowed to break that lucky streak when a high profile individual helped investigators — and the next wave of victims — connect dots more quickly, said Driechel. Article content 'We had the luxury, fortunately, this time, to get on it early. And I think we've actually seen events stopped because of that,' Driechel said. Article content It's important that people feel safe coming forward, Driechel said. Article content 'We know that obviously one of the things is that people fear is retribution. They fear that if they come forward, they may be targeted,' he said. Article content EPS will anonymize information throughout the court process, he said. Article content Dangers to the economy Article content Edmonton-Meadows MLA Jasvir Singh Deol said gang activity is dangerous for Edmonton's economy and business and society in general — and also for youth who are sucked in by criminals offering a promised sense of belonging. Article content In his three decades in Canada, Deol said he's never seen this unique situation. Article content 'The gangs were fighting with each other. It's taken a very different route now, targeting established businesses and really practically coming after them. They're under real threats. They have shootings at their homes, shootings at their businesses,' he said. Article content The EPS town hall was needed for the community to feel safe, he said. Article content Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the South Asian community has contributed much to the prosperity and vibrancy in Canada. Article content Article content 'I have seen South Asian communities stepping up to make our country a better place, and it is so unfortunate that South Asian community, at this time, particularly South Asian businesses, are living under fear. They're facing extortion. They're facing threats from organized crime, mostly connected to international organized crime, and we have a responsibility to support them,' he said. Article content Article content
Vancouver Sun
6 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Two shootings in Calgary connected to Indian gang responsible for extortions in B.C.
Violence from a gang based in India has gripped the South Asian communities in Ontario and B.C. with fear. Extortions and subsequent violence have become an unfortunate reality among the relatively wealthy in those areas. The gang's growing influence has now spilled into Calgary with two possibly connected shootings within four days. A video circulating on social media shows a group of men shooting at the Dreamers nightclub on 10th Avenue, S.W., on July 21, the responsibility of which has been claimed by associates of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Calgary police say another incident occurred on July 17 in the northeast community of Redstone, in which shots were fired into a parked car . Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The eponymous gang, whose leader is currently imprisoned in India, gained prominence in North America following a few high-profile cases, including alleged links to the 2024 murder of the Khalistan leader Harjit Singh Njjar, who the Canadian government has said was killed at the behest of the Indian government. So far, no credible evidence has been provided by Canada for the latter accusation. The gang was also behind the killing of Sidhu Moose Wala , who was shot in India but also had ties to Canada, and a Mumbai-based politician. A prominent Bollywood star is also a target of the organized crime group. Most recently, Surrey has been home to a string of extortion attempts that have sparked fear in the community. In June, a businessman in Surrey who ran a workplace supply company was shot dead after two men engaged him in conversation. The motivation and the ties to the group remain unclear; however, a man named Goldy Dhillon, who pledged allegiance to Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the attack in a Facebook post. Several prominent community members in Surrey, including Satish Kumar, who serves as president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, have also been targets of extortion whom are being ordered to pay millions of dollars. Indian media have reported that extortion is a significant source of the gang's income. However, police in B.C. have been reluctant to link these cases to the gang. However, these incidents have caused political pressure. B.C. Premier David Eby has called on the federal government to classify the group as a terrorist organization. Calgary police say so far apart from two shootings, they have reported an alleged case of extortion in the city. 'We are aware of a series of extortions targeting members of the South Asian community, which have been occurring across the country,' a CPS spokesperson wrote in a statement. 'We are continuing to engage with our law enforcement partners to determine if these incidents in Calgary are connected to that series. At this time, we have not received any other reports of extortion connected to this series. 'Our Diversity Resource Team is also actively engaging with the South Asian community to share information and resources and to provide support to victims. We value these relationships and encourage anyone who is concerned for their safety to reach out to police.' Received this video via social media, claiming to be Zora Sidhu-Goldie Dhillon of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, based in India. They took responsibility for a shooting that occurred at the Dreamers Lounge in Calgary on July 17th. @CalgaryPolice can tell more.
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Two shootings in Calgary connected to Indian gang responsible for extortions in B.C.
Violence from a gang based in India has gripped the South Asian communities in Ontario and B.C. with fear. Extortions and subsequent violence have become an unfortunate reality among the relatively wealthy in those areas. Article content The gang's growing influence has now spilled into Calgary with two possibly connected shootings within four days. A video circulating on social media shows a group of men shooting at the Dreamers nightclub on 10th Avenue, S.W., on July 21, the responsibility of which has been claimed by associates of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Article content Article content Article content Article content The eponymous gang, whose leader is currently imprisoned in India, gained prominence in North America following a few high-profile cases, including alleged links to the 2024 murder of the Khalistan leader Harjit Singh Njjar, who the Canadian government has said was killed at the behest of the Indian government. Article content So far, no credible evidence has been provided by Canada for the latter accusation. The gang was also behind the killing of Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot in India but also had ties to Canada, and a Mumbai-based politician. A prominent Bollywood star is also a target of the organized crime group. Most recently, Surrey has been home to a string of extortion attempts that have sparked fear in the community. Article content Article content In June, a businessman in Surrey who ran a workplace supply company was shot dead after two men engaged him in conversation. The motivation and the ties to the group remain unclear; however, a man named Goldy Dhillon, who pledged allegiance to Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the attack in a Facebook post. Article content Several prominent community members in Surrey, including Satish Kumar, who serves as president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, have also been targets of extortion whom are being ordered to pay millions of dollars. Indian media have reported that extortion is a significant source of the gang's income. Article content However, police in B.C. have been reluctant to link these cases to the gang. However, these incidents have caused political pressure. B.C. Premier David Eby has called on the federal government to classify the group as a terrorist organization.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Time of India
Salman home firing: Accused denied bail
Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai has refused bail to an alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang member held in connection with the firing at actor Salman Khan 's residence last year saying the accused cannot escape MCOCA provisions merely because there are no criminal antecedents against him. The bail plea of accused Sonu Chander alias Sonukumar Bishnoi was rejected by Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act Judge Mahesh Jadhav on Friday, details of which were made available on Monday. The special court held that evidence clearly demonstrates Chander along with other accused and leader of the Bishnoi gang hatched the conspiracy to kill the victim. pti
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Time of India
PG owner shelters Bishnoi gang members sans verification, held
1 2 Jaipur: The owner of a paying guest facility in Sriganganagar district, where four members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang were hiding, was arrested Sunday for allowing them to stay without any ID or police verification. The four gang members posed as students and were planning an extortion attempt when police raided the PG and caught them with illegal weapons. Police said Anand Kumar, 28, who runs Anand Boys PG in the Chhoti Naiyanwala area, ignored repeated instructions that no one should be allowed to stay in a hostel or PG without proper verification. The police had already informed him about the orders, but he continued to rent rooms without checking documents. A separate case was filed against him, and he was taken into custody after the raid. On July 18, acting on a tip-off, the police raided the PG and found four youths - Dilpreet Singh, 23, (DK), Anil Legha, 30, Vishnu Kumar, 25, (Ninja), and Hiralal, 23, (Heera), armed with a Turkey-made Zigana pistol and 14 cartridges. The suspects jumped from the third floor to escape but were caught and are now being treated at the district hospital for injuries. Two other youths were also arrested for breach of peace.
