Canada Wants to Keep Alleged Bishnoi Gang Member in Custody

Imagine a big international story that’s like a movie, but it’s real life. A man named Karamveer Singh is at the center of it. He is in Canada and the government wants to keep him locked up while they try to send him back to India. Let’s break it all down in a super simple way.

What Is Happening in Court?

Lawyers for Canada’s Minister of Public Safety (think of this person as the government boss for safety) will go to Federal Court on Friday. They want to keep Karamveer Singh in custody (that means jail while waiting) because:

• He is an alleged (supposed but not proven in Canada) member of the Bishnoi gang.
• He faces a murder charge in India.
• He is fighting the government’s plan to deport him (send him back to India).

Important: The government says Singh is dangerous and should not be released because of his past and his links to a group Canada calls a terrorist entity.

Who Is Karamveer Singh and What Do Documents Say?

CBC News got court documents with some surprising claims:

• The FBI (the U.S. police) says gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi told Singh to "take care of his brother Anmol" in California.
• Singh went to Canada in 2025 after the U.S. said he could not stay there.
• Photos in the court file show Singh with Anmol Bishnoi and another gang member, Lakhvinder "Lakha" Kumar, near San Francisco in 2024.
• Both Anmol and Kumar were later sent back to India where they face charges like extortion (forcing money from people) and shootings.
• Singh left India in 2019 while on bail (free but with conditions) for a 2012 murder case.
• The documents say Singh, who has been in Canadian immigration jail since April, is also suspected of ordering a shooting and fire attack at the home of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon in 2024.

The government wrote:
"Given his past criminality and documented links to the Bishnoi group, a designated terrorist entity, [Singh]’s danger to the public needs to be offset by reasonable conditions of release."
And:
"In the absence of proper consideration of the risk he presents if released under the current conditions, release would pose a danger to the Canadian public."

Operation Hard Ball

This is a big deal operation!

• The Minister of Public Safety wants to undo a July 7 order from the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB – a group that decides who can stay or go).
• That order would have freed Singh with electronic monitoring (like a digital leash) and virtual house arrest (stay at home).
• His two sisters posted bonds (money promised to court) worth $110,000 total.
• A judge paused the release after the government made an urgent request the next day.

Operation Hard Ball is a team effort by police in Canada, the U.S., and Europe to stop crime groups linked to India, including the Bishnoi gang.

• Lawrence Bishnoi and friends are accused in the U.S. of extortion, drug trafficking, and the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023.
• Lawrence has been in an Indian jail since 2015.
• Canada labeled his crime group a terrorist entity last year.
• The papers in Singh’s case show the FBI and RCMP (Canadian police) worked closely together.

A Request for an Emergency Hearing

The government asked for a quick court hearing to stop Singh’s release. They said:

• Singh had "recent and significant associations" with Bishnoi gang members.
• They found "errors" in deciding his sisters were okay to post bond.
• A jewelry store owned by one sister’s husband was paid for by Singh.
• About $240,000 in electronic money transfers by the couple were not properly explained.
• The other sister had travel and money history that did not match her income, with weird deposits.

Singh’s Background From Court Papers

1. Charged with murder in 2012 in Punjab (a place in India) over a shooting of a political figure.
2. Stayed in jail for years, got bail in 2019 after his father died.
3. Others in the case were convicted; the court kept evidence to try Singh later if he returns.
4. He got a Mexican visa, entered the U.S. illegally, failed a refugee claim, got an exclusion order (must leave).
5. Entered Canada in January 2025 between official border spots (not at a checkpoint).
6. RCMP caught him; he made a refugee claim but was found not eligible → another deportation order.
7. He has ongoing immigration cases, including trying to stay via his wife.

"I Did Not Kill Anyone"

Singh’s lawyers won’t talk before court but say they oppose the government. They say the release decision was "thoroughly reasoned" after deep questioning.

Singh wrote a letter from jail saying:

• He is a victim of "corrupt" Indian justice and had to flee.
• "What the court says happened is like a Bollywood movie and is not what happened at all."
• "I did not kill anyone. I was falsely implicated in this case."
• He says his only other issue is a peace bond (promise to behave) and no-contact order with his wife last January.
• He met Anmol Bishnoi through a friend and regrets it: "a grave error in judgment."
• He says no crime happened around him, but admits casual ties were a "serious mistake."

FBI Surveillance Reports

The court got FBI watch reports from March 2024:

• A hidden camera outside Singh’s California house with Anmol Bishnoi.
• Photos show Bishnoi coming and going; Singh washing cars, kissing a woman, with Bishnoi.
• Kumar and Anmol seen together.
• A September 2024 FBI report to RCMP says:
  • Singh married a Canadian in Bakersfield in April 2023; Anmol attended.
  • Singh financed his brother-in-law’s jewelry store but was unemployed in the U.S.
  • Singh has a cousin in Canada who "handles all the extortion related to the Punjabi singers."
  • FBI says Singh "was responsible for putting the hit on" Dhillon’s home shooting/fire.

Why Dhillon? He made a video with Salman Khan, a star who hunted an antelope the Bishnoi community respects. A man named Abjeet Kingra shot 14 bullets at the home, got $4,000, six years prison, and deportation.

"This Will Mean Risk to My Life"

• Anmol Bishnoi was sent to India in November 2025.
• India’s agency says Anmol helped Goldy Brar do terrorism from 2020–2023 and ran syndicates from the U.S.
• Goldy Brar is still free; U.S. offers $50,000 for him.
• Singh says Anmol at his wedding went viral, so India will think he is in the gang: "This will mean risk to my life if I return."
• Since Canada, Singh says he joined Sikh rights rallies and wants to keep doing that.

Important Callout: Both sides tell very different stories — the government sees Singh as a dangerous gang link; Singh says he is falsely accused and fears for his life.

Summary

Karamveer Singh is in Canadian custody fighting deportation to India for a murder charge and alleged Bishnoi gang ties. The government cites FBI proof and money mysteries to keep him jailed; Singh says he is innocent and targeted by Indian politics. A court will hear it all Friday amid the big Operation Hard Ball sweep.

FAQ

1. What is the Bishnoi gang?
A crime group led by Lawrence Bishnoi, labeled a terrorist entity by Canada, linked to extortion, shootings, and more across countries.

2. Why does Canada want Singh kept in jail?
They say his past and gang links make him a public danger if released, and his sisters’ bond money looks suspicious.

3. What does Singh say in his defense?
He says he didn’t kill anyone, met the gang by mistake, and would be killed if sent to India.

4. What was Operation Hard Ball?
A joint police action by Canada, U.S., and Europe against India-linked crime groups, announced with charges against 37 people.

5. Who is AP Dhillon and why was his home attacked?
A Punjabi singer whose house was shot and burned, allegedly by the gang because he filmed with an actor they disliked.