Kap’s Café Attack Marks First Canada Strike by Bishnoi Gang After Terror Listing
Just weeks after Canada listed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, gunfire erupted at comedian Kapil Sharma’s Kap’s Café in Surrey, B.C., in what investigators believe is the gang’s first attack on Canadian soil since the designation.
Police sources said multiple rounds were fired at the establishment early Thursday. No injuries were reported, but the strike has heightened concerns that the gang remains active and undeterred by Ottawa’s new restrictions.
Goldy Dhillon claims responsibility again
The assault was claimed online by Gurpreet Singh, alias Goldy Dhillon, who already faces a ₹10-lakh bounty from India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). He had also claimed responsibility for a previous shooting at the same café.
Investigators say the motive stems from the gang’s ongoing feud with Bollywood actor Salman Khan, whom Bishnoi accuses of killing a blackbuck—an animal sacred to his community. Indian probe agencies, however, maintain the incidents are part of a broader extortion racket.
Canada’s terror listing less than three weeks old
On September 29, the Canadian government added the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang to its Criminal Code list of terrorist entities, describing it as a “transnational criminal organization operating primarily out of India with presence in diaspora communities across Canada.”
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the listing gives law enforcement “powerful and effective tools to confront and stop their crimes.”
The move followed reports that the gang had targeted members of the Sikh diaspora and Punjabi entertainment figures in British Columbia and Ontario.
From India’s prisons to Canada’s streets
Lawrence Bishnoi, a former student leader from Punjab now held in Sabarmati Prison, is accused in multiple Indian cases, including the killings of singer Sidhu Moosewala and politician Baba Siddiqui.
Prominent associates include Anmol Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, and Rohit Godara, though internal splits have been reported.
Indian officials have long sought their extradition, while Canada’s government insists its listing is meant to protect communities within the country.
A cross-border flashpoint
The Bishnoi network came under global scrutiny after the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey. Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Indian intelligence might have links to “criminal organisations” such as Bishnoi’s—an allegation New Delhi strongly denied, citing multiple pending extradition requests for gang members.
The latest café shooting has once again placed the gang at the centre of India-Canada tensions, as both governments vow cooperation while denying each other’s claims of interference.
What the terror listing allows
Under the Criminal Code, a terror listing enables asset freezes, property seizures, and criminal charges for anyone financing or assisting the group.
It also authorizes border officials to deny entry or revoke immigration status of members and affiliates.
Canada now counts 88 designated terrorist entities.
Law-enforcement agencies on both sides of the border are coordinating to trace any Bishnoi-linked operatives within B.C. and Ontario, as investigators probe whether the Kap’s Café attack was meant as a warning—or a signal that the gang’s Canadian chapter remains active despite the ban.
