The Immigration and Refugee Board has ordered the deportation of gunman hired by Indian gang Lawrence Bishnoi to go on a shooting rampage on Vancouver Island.
Abjeet Kingra, an Indian citizen who entered Canada on a student visa, was found inadmissible to Canada on Monday for being a member of a criminal organization.
At the behest of the Bishnoi gang, the former Winnipeg resident fired 14 bullets into a home in Colwood, BC, and his accomplice set fire to the homeowners’ cars.
Both are accused of the same attack in Surrey, BC
Kingra is the latest to face deportation amid a nationwide crackdown on gangs targeting Canadian South Asian communities.
The Canada Border Services Agency has opened more than 400 investigations and deported 55 suspects as a result of the money laundering problem, according to a spokesperson.
Officials believe the Bishnoi gang, led by jailed Indian mobster Lawrence Bishnoi, is behind the extortion-related violence.
Like many members of the Bishnoi, Kingra was granted a visa to study in Canada. He was working for a Winnipeg moving company when he was hired.
At his deportation hearing on Thursday, he said a colleague offered him $4,000 to accompany him to BC to attack the home of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon on September 2, 2024.
A few hours after the shooting, the Bishnoi gang posted a video on social media that Kingra shot, showing him firing a gun into the house.
Kingra revealed that he did not know that he was working for the Bishnoi gang and was doing it for easy money to send back to his parents in India.
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But the CBSA said the gang uses a system of classification, so that each member only knows the person above him in terms of rank.
The CBSA also told the Refugee Board that Kingra had confessed to two crimes allegedly committed “at the behest” of the Bishnoi gang.
Kingra is currently serving a six-year sentence for the shooting, pending trial for the second shooting. He will appear in court on June 18.
His accomplice, Vikram Sharma, fled to India following the attack and is wanted by the RCMP on multiple charges.
During his day of hearing before the Refugee Board, Kingra exhibited marked forgetfulness, often giving answers in ways he could no longer remember.
Appearing without a lawyer, he portrayed himself as a sober youth who might have been recruited to be shot because he was “stupid.”
“I know I made a mistake and I was punished for it,” he testified. But he said he was the only son of his parents and feared that the Bishnoi gang would kill him if he was sent back to India.
The Refugee Board found that he had not provided evidence to support any dangers he might face in India.
CBSA officer Jasbir Sandhu said the raid on Dhillon’s house was not a scam. Instead, Bishnoi was sending the message that you can reach whoever you want.
He also said that Bishnoi had committed murders in Canada, and said that among the victims was BC Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The RCMP alleges that the Indian government hired Bishnoi to kill Nijjar, the leader of the Khalistan movement fighting for independence from India’s Punjab.
The gang was active in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, exploiting people, smuggling drugs and killing for hire.
“Major campaigns of the Bishnoi gang continue to be facilitated by Mr. Bishnoi himself who is in custody,” a CBSA official told the case.
Sandhu said Bishnoi uploads selfies from prison, as well as videos and photos of the gang’s activities, “to gain new followers.”
Bishnoi allegedly used his Ontario-based lieutenant, Goldy Brar, to target business owners and Canadian Sikh entertainment owners, as well as Khalistan activists.
To emphasize the seriousness of their threats, Bishnoi members often drive to their victims’ houses at night, shoot them and burn their buildings.
As Global News first reported, the Bishnoi gang sent a letter to the BC police station last August saying they had 1,000 foot soldiers ready to shoot.
The letter is still being investigated. But the CBSA said the criminal network is believed to have no more than 700 members worldwide.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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