The Refugee Board of Canada has ordered the deportation of alleged gang associate Lawrence Bishnoi, who tried to block the press from covering his case.
At Friday’s hearing, Sahibjot Singh admitted using a prohibited weapon for a criminal organization and admitted he had been deported.
Although he denied being a gang member, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) accused him of having ties to the Bishnoi gang.
Singh, who appeared at the hearing on camera from his lawyer’s Edmonton office, is the latest of dozens of Indian citizens facing deportation for their involvement in extortion rings.
Even before the hearing began, Singh tried to block journalists from observing his case, claiming that he feared “potential retaliation” due to his alleged involvement with the Bishnoi group.
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“In addition, publishing Mr. Singh’s identity would subject him to significant stigma and discrimination in Canada and could expose him to additional risk if he were returned to India,” his lawyer wrote.
Singh also said he faces outstanding criminal charges in Canada and that publicity surrounding his deportation will affect his upcoming trial.
Global News successfully fought the publication ban.
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The World Sikh Organization of Canada also opposed a ban on the case, writing that “trials involving alleged members of the Bishnoi gang are of significant public interest.”
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“Canadians must have the right to understand who these people are, how they came to Canada, the nature and extent of their activities, whether they acted independently or at the direction of others, and what role they may have played in acts of violence, intimidation and transnational repression,” the organization writes.
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The Immigration and Refugee Board ruled on June 26 that Canadians have a right to transparency about how law enforcement responds to extortion crimes and that the public hearing will not affect criminal proceedings against Singh.
In its decision approving his deportation, the board said Edmonton police had linked the activities of Indian extortion gangs in Alberta to several countries.
Investigators intercepted phone calls from France, Portugal and the Netherlands, as well as Canada, board member Trent Cook said in his ruling.
“It shows there is an international component,” he said.
The gang has a hierarchy, with “those at the top giving instructions and orders to those at the bottom,” Cook said in his decision.
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“This is a complex network of people who relied on each other to commit these crimes,” he added. “This is a long-standing, united group of people working in unison to intimidate victims.”
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Operating out of an Indian prison, Lawrence Bishnoi runs a transnational crime ring that profits from assassinations and extortion.
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He is targeting South Asian Canadians by sending them messages demanding large sums of money and then opening fire on their homes and businesses.
Canadian police arrested suspected Bishnoi members in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, but many were handed over to the CBSA for deportation to India.
Most came to Canada on work and study permits.
The CBSA said that as of June 18, 484 investigations had been opened as a result of extortion task forces across the country, and 139 removal orders had been issued as of June 18.
Eighty-one people have already been expelled from Canada. The figures are dated June 18. The CBSA said these are the most recent statistics.
On July 7, the US charged Lawrence Bishnoi and his North American lieutenant Goldie Brar with racketeering and the 2023 murder of British Columbia Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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