India's federal probe agency National National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been tracking and keeping the Khalistani terrorism in their radar filing a chargesheet earlier this year. The incidences of terrorism and extortion took centre stage after the murder of singer and rapper Sidhdu Moosewala in Punjab on 29 May 2022.
Even as the diplomatic tension between India and Canada worsens over the issue of the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar by unidentified assailants in British Columbia's Surrey in June, 2023.
In the chargesheet filed by NIA earlier this year, it has been revealed that money that was generated through extortion and smuggling for pro-Khalistan outfits and its members, were invested into yachts, movies and even the Canadian Premier League, by the Canada-based top Khalistani leaders and gangsters, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
The report cited from the NIA chargesheet which listed 13 instances from 2019 to 2021 wherein funds ranging between ₹5 lakh to ₹60 Lakh were sent by now jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to Canada and Thailand using the ‘hawala route’.
The report noted that NIA has claimed that money from India were also invested in bars and clubs in Thailand by pro-Khalistani leaders, and gangsters.
“...the money collected through extortion, illegal liquor, arms smuggling business, etc was sent to Satwinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar and one Satbir Singh alias Sam in Canada through hawala for further investment as well as for funding the radical activities of pro-Khalistan elements (PKEs),” HT report quoting the NIA charge sheet, filed in March against 14 persons who are part of larger Khalistan-gangster nexus.
Earlier investigation had established that Lawrence Bishnoi along with his close associate Satwinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, worked Khalistani groups operating from Canadian soil, particularly Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) leader Lakhbir Singh Landa.
The NIA chargesheet also mentioned a Satbir Singh alias Sam who would handle the illegal money from India, collected by extortion and smuggling, in Canada.
“Sam invested a part of this money to purchase yachts, finance movies and organise the Canadian Premier League in Canada”, NIA chargesheet revealed adding that Lawrence Bishnoi (currently in Tihar jail) confessed that he also received funds from Sam on several occasions.
According to the Hindustan Times report citing the NIA chargesheet, the transactions to Canada include
- ₹2 lakh monthly sent to Goldy Brar in 2021,
-Two payments of ₹20 lakh each in 2020 to Goldy Brar
- ₹50 lakh given to Sam in 2020,
- ₹60 lakh given to both Brar and Sam in 2021
-Two more separate payments of ₹40 lakh and ₹20 lakh to Sam in 2021
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About investments in Thailand, NIA said “the money collected by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang through extortion, illegal liquor, arms smuggling business, etc was sent to one Manish Bhandari in Thailand through hawala by (gangster) Virendra Pratap alias Kala Rana, his father Joginder Singh and Rajkumar alias Raju Basodi for further investing in nightclubs and bars.”
“When any member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang goes to Thailand, Bhandari provides accommodation and logistics support to him,” it adds.
A senior officer, who didn’t want to be named told Hindustan Times that the ill-gotten money was also invested in various properties and efforts are on to identify all those assets.
A senior officer familiar with the activities of gangsters and PKEs in Canada said, “Ottawa needs to take into custody and hand over these two dozen-odd gangsters-PKEs such as Landa, Brar, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala who are the brains behind all the activities”.
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