Canada deports four more Indians in extortion crackdown; total 111

The brief

Context

Canada has been running an intensified immigration enforcement drive since 2025 against foreign nationals allegedly linked to extortion networks that target South Asian businesses and families, notably in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Many of those removed are young Indian nationals, including men of Punjabi origin, some of whom entered on study permits or other temporary status. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) declares them inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) on grounds of organised or serious criminality, after proceedings before the Immigration and Refugee Board. The latest four removals take the total under the drive to 111.

Key facts

• Four more Indian nationals — Palwinder Singh, Jasmer Singh, Amitoz Bajwa and Sahibjot Singh — were removed, taking total deportations under the drive to 111.
• All four were found inadmissible under Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) on grounds linked to organised or serious criminality, per the CBSA.
• CBSA had issued 188 removal orders across Canada as of September 3.
• Regional break-up of removal orders: Pacific region 91 orders and 58 removals; Prairies 47 orders and 30 removals; Greater Toronto Area 50 orders and 23 removals.
• By March 2025: about 372 immigration investigations, 70 removal orders, 35 enforced removals; by May: 446 investigations, 118 orders, 55 removals; by June: 484 investigations, 139 orders, 81 removals.
• CBSA said Palwinder Singh was linked to an extortion-related shooting in 2025 and found to be a member of a criminal organisation; Amitoz Bajwa was linked to firearms offences and an extortion-related shooting.
• Jasmer Singh had been convicted of forcible confinement; Sahibjot Singh admitted association with an organisation involved in a pattern of criminal activity.
• In May, Peel Regional Police arrested 17 men, mostly of Punjabi origin, aged about 21 to 32, in connection with 24 incidents attributed to the 'Four Brothers' or 'For Brothers' network.

Timeline

1. 2016Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu, 25, arrives in Canada as a temporary resident; later linked to the Ruffians gang in Surrey.
2. 2022Arshdeep Singh, about 22, enters Canada on a study permit.
3. 2025Enforcement drive intensifies; Palwinder Singh linked to an extortion-related shooting this year.
4. March 2025About 372 immigration investigations, 70 removal orders and 35 enforced removals reported.
5. May 2025Figures rise to 446 investigations, 118 orders and 55 removals; Peel Regional Police arrest 17 men over 24 incidents tied to the 'Four Brothers' network.
6. June 2025484 investigations, 139 removal orders and 81 removals.
7. September 3CBSA says 188 removal orders have been issued across Canada.
8. November 2025Arshdeep Singh and Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu detained.
9. January 19, 2026Arshdeep Singh deported under escort after being found inadmissible for membership in a criminal organisation.
10. February 3Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu deported after being found inadmissible for organised criminality.

Who has a stake

• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) — Leads the enforcement drive, issues removal orders and executes deportations of foreign nationals found inadmissible.
• Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada — Adjudicates inadmissibility proceedings that precede removal; the four latest deportees were found inadmissible before it.
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police (Surrey Police, Peel Regional Police) — Investigate extortion networks and coordinate with CBSA on arrests and evidence.
• Indian nationals in Canada, including students on study permits — Face detention, inadmissibility findings and deportation if linked to organised criminality; wider reputational risk for the community.
• South Asian businesses and families in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario — Named targets of extortion networks, including shootings and arson against homebuilders.
• India and Canada as states — Deportations of Indian nationals and transnational gang activity feed into bilateral immigration and security concerns.

Why it matters

The drive shows how criminal extortion networks operating within diaspora communities can quickly convert immigration status into a law-enforcement lever, with 111 Indians already removed and 188 removal orders issued as of September 3. For Indian students and temporary residents in Canada, it signals that inadmissibility findings for organised criminality can end legal stay regardless of pending or completed criminal proceedings. It also affects the wider perception of Indian migrants in Canada's major provinces and adds another strand to India-Canada relations.