Following Canadian PM Mark Carney's recent visit to India, which marked a significant thaw in Indo-Canadian relations, the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has stated that there is no ongoing threat to Canadians from agents linked to India.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said that they are seeing transnational repression now, and the dots don't always connect to a foreign entity.
Duheme also stated that he was quoted back in 2024, based on the criminal investigation that was ongoing at the time. "The government official who made that quote, I'm not quite sure who briefed him," he said.
Canada-India relations took a major hit when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
"We work closely with law enforcement from across the country to make sure that it's a coordinated approach. But it's important for people to report it. If it's not reported, there's little we can do," he said.
Noting the activities of the Bishnoi gang, which has been implicated in a series of extortion cases across Calgary, Brampton, and Surrey, Commissioner Mike Duheme underscored the significant complexity of these transnational investigations. He noted that while the gang's name is frequently invoked, connecting these specific criminal acts to a broader foreign entity remains a primary investigative challenge.
"Not all extortion cases are linked directly to Bishnoi. I think you have people who use his name," he said.
He also stressed that there are currently no confirmed links between the gang's criminal activities and the Government of India.
