Alleged members of an Indian gang and its leader have been sending shivers down the spines of members of the South Asian diaspora in Canada for years, says a city councillor in Richmond, B.C. Kash

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has shot to the limelight again. After making headlines for issuing threats to actor Salman Khan and being linked to NCP politician Baba Siddique’s murder, the gang has now become a topic of discussion in Canada.

Despite being jailed, Lawrence Bishnoi continues to control a powerful gang involved in high-profile crimes across India, raising concerns over his influence and connections.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that similar extradition requests of syndicates linked to the Bishnoi gang were made recently as well, but Canada has not responded yet.

Significantly, while rejecting Canada's allegations linking Indian diplomats to the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India also underlined its “strong and vibrant” economic ties with Canada.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in response to a query during his weekly briefing as he fielded questions on India-Canada ties, a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified before a Commission of Inquiry.

Lawrence Bishnoi, who hails from a small village in Punjab, is now widely regarded as India’s most feared mob boss. And although he has been in prison for the past nine years, Bishnoi’s enterprise has grown from a small-time racket on a Punjabi university campus to a national – and even international – criminal network,

Stating that the Canadian government has not taken any action on India's core concerns, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "There is a political motive also behind this".

The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that India had shared some requests with Canada for the arrest of members of the Lawrance Bishnoi gang but it didn't act on New Delhi's "core concerns".

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that India had requested Canada to arrest the members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, but no action has been taken by the Canadian side on the request.