‘Bishnoi gang linked to Indian government agents’: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police claimed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang active in Canada was linked to Indian government agents. An RCMP officer named the gang while alleging “use” of “organised crime elements” by the agents to collect information to target the south Asian community.

‘Indian diplomats collected info that was used to target S Asians’

Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for Indian govt that was used to target members of the South Asian community, alleged Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that is handling the probe into the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case. RCMP had arrested three persons in the Nijjar case in May this year.

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Shortly after India recalled its high commissioner Sanjay Verma, following Canada’s allegation that he was a ‘person of interest’ in the same case, RCMP said that Indian diplomats collected information either directly or through their proxies, and other individuals who acted voluntarily or through coercion.

RCMP said that an extraordinary situation had compelled it to speak about what it had discovered in multiple ongoing investigations into the involvement of Indian govt agents in serious criminal activity in Canada.

India, however, reiterated on Monday that Canada had not shared any evidence to link Indian govt agents with the crime.

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RCMP claimed to have obtained evidence that demonstrates four “very serious issues”. These include violent extremism impacting both countries, links tying agents of the Indian govt to homicides and violent acts, use of organised crime to create a perception of an unsafe environment targeting the South Asian community in Canada and interference into democratic processes. RCMP also claimed that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang active in Canada is linked to Indian government agents.

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