New Delhi: Mob boss Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang - linked to murder, extortion, and arms and drugs trafficking in India and abroad - has been declared a 'terrorist entity' by Canada under its Criminal Code, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Monday evening.
This means any Bishnoi gang asset in that country, from cash to vehicles and property, can be frozen or seized, giving Canadian law enforcement more (and sharper) teeth to prosecute gang members for various offences, including those related to financing of terrorist activities.
It also means immigration officials can deny suspected gang members entry into Canada.
"Acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation," a government statement said.
Under Canadian law, it is now a criminal offence for a Canadian citizen, and those abroad, to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by the Bishnoi gang. It is also a criminal offence to directly or indirectly provide property knowing it will be used by or benefit the gang.
The notification - another step forward in repairing India-Canada ties after an all-out diplomatic war in the final months of Justin Trudeau's prime ministership - comes a month after a Canadian MP, Frank Caputo, urged Anandasangaree to slap the 'terrorist' tag on Bishnoi.
Caputo, the shadow Public Safety Minister, wrote to Anandasangaree to highlight Bishnoi's vast criminal empire and said it was guilty of assassinations and the extortion of Canadian citizens, and engaged in such illegal activities for "political, religious, and ideological reasons".
"The Bishnoi gang's activities lay the groundwork for listing it as a terrorist entity. As you know, they have taken credit for vast violence in Canada and abroad," he said in the letter shared on X.
He also pointed to appeals by four other Canadian politicians, including Patrick Brown, the Mayor of Brampton, which is home to about 20 per cent of Canada's Sikh population. British Columbia Premier David Eby and his Alberta counterpart, Danielle Smith, as well as Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, have also called for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to be taken down.
The Canadian government has frequently named the Bishnoi gang as one of the more nefarious criminal syndicates in that country, and has also linked it to arms and drugs trafficking.
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