A gang based in India sent a letter to Canadian police warning that it has 1,000 members ready to carry out attacks across the country, a court has been told, as Ottawa grapples with a growing extortion crisis.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which was designated as a terrorist entity last year in Canada and operates in the US, UK, Australia and the UAE, sent a letter to a police station in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in August 2025, a police officer told a court on Thursday.

The group described its protection racket as “taxes” and said that if Canadian businesses refused to pay they would face violence.

The contents of the letter were partially revealed by Constable Kevin St Louis to the Immigration and Refugee Board during a deportation hearing.

“This specific letter outlined essentially their criminal organisation, where they talked about having upwards of 1,000 individuals who are willing to carry out these shootings as a part of the group,” he said.

“It also alludes to how every business needs to pay their tax, which I think clearly demonstrates the monetary gain that this group is looking to obtain as a result of these extortions.”

Sergeant Paul Walker told Canada’s Global News that the detectives have been working to investigate the origins of the letter and the contents spoken about within.

“Details of this letter were shared with our law enforcement partners engaged in combating the extortion crisis across Canada,” he added.

“I’m not in a position to comment further on any of the details contained within the letter or investigative steps taken since.”

Canadian law enforcement has been grappling with organised crime, shootings and extortion rackets targeting members of the South Asian community. There are around 3.38 million people of Indian origin or Indian citizens living in Canada, accounting for roughly 8.3 per cent of the country’s total population.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang originated in northern India and is named after its alleged leader. Despite being jailed in India since 2015, authorities allege Lawrence Bishnoi continues to run its operations from behind bars through associates and encrypted communications.

The gang is accused of involvement in extortion, contract killings, shootings, drug and arms trafficking and intimidation of business owners and public figures. Indian security agencies have linked the group to several high-profile killings, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

The detective testified that the gang extorts money by employing Indians in Canada who are paid “small” amounts to carry out targeted killings and shootings. He said the men who are hired are also seeking a sense of belonging in the community.

“I think a lot of them look at it as kind of being a part of an organisation or a group,” he said, adding that “a lot of them are being targeted at schools”.

The extortion gangs allegedly target South Asian business owners and residents, demanding large sums of money. According to the officer, those who refuse to pay face the prospect of retaliatory shootings targeting their homes and businesses.

“Every individual that we’ve identified during this investigation is a temporary foreign worker or on a student visa and relatively new to Canada,” he added.

The extortion demands were typically made over WhatsApp and often invoked the names of Lawrence Bishnoi or his former close associate Goldy Brar, the officer said.