'I Was Kidding With Him': Indian Man In Canada Says He Wasn't Aware His Friend Was In Bishnoi Gang

Last Updated:May 31, 2026, 16:09 IST

Jashandeep Singh testified that his only crime was failing to ask Arshdeep Singh why he showed up with a gun police later linked to shootings in Edmonton and Surrey.

An Indian man charged in extortion and shooting cases in Canada pleaded innocence, saying he was not aware that his friend, Arshdeep Singh, was part of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Arshdeep Singh, 22, was deported to India in March for his role in shootings, arson and vehicle fraud in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. He entered Canada on a student visa in August 2022. Singh was charged in a case of arson in Ontario, a shooting in Edmonton, extortion cases in Surrey and also auto theft and insurance fraud in other parts of Canada.

Jashandeep Singh, Arshdeep’s friend, said at his immigration hearing that his only crime was failing to ask a visiting friend why he showed up with a gun police later linked to shootings in Edmonton and Surrey. He also told the Immigration and Refugee Board tribunal that he was fooling around with what he believed to be a toy gun and even posed with it, according to CBC News.

Jashandeep argued that he did not know anything about Arshdeep’s activities. “It was my bad. Why didn’t I ask them at that point in time? At that point, I didn’t know if I held the gun, they would connect me with extortion," he testified through a Punjabi interpreter.

Will Jashandeep Be Deported?

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship wants to deport Jashandeep Singh for his involvement in organised crime. However, Jashandeep said he came to Canada as a student in December 2022 and was awaiting word on an application for a post-graduate work permit.

He is currently living with his sister and brother-in-law while he awaits the decision on whether he can stay in Canada. He said he feels ashamed and cannot look family members in the eye.

Jashandeep said Arshdeep Singh was a friend from college and both worked in an Amazon warehouse previously. On the night before the shooting incident in Edmonton, Jashandeep said Arshdeep called to inform him that the next day was his birthday and asked if he could stay overnight at the home Jashandeep shared with seven or eight other men.

“Arshdeep had a bag. He took out a gun from that bag and showed us. I did not know whether it was a licensed or unregistered gun," he testified. “When I picked it up, I was just holding it and another friend of mine who was living in the house with me, I started kidding with him. I just jokingly put it on his head as we were watching films."

Later, Jashandeep said he travelled in Arshdeep’s Mustang with others to a spot where the latter opened fire in the air several times. Arshdeep was arrested the day after the shooting incident.

Ties With Lawrence Bishnoi Gang

Edmonton police Constable Kevin St. Louis told the immigration tribunal that Jashandeep came to the police’s attention while they were tracking Arshdeep Singh’s movements through Edmonton while probing a series of extortions allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

On the first day of the hearing, St. Louis testified about a letter sent from the Bishnoi gang directly to police in Abbotsford, claiming to have 1,000 gunmen in Canada, ready to carry out extortions. The probe intensified when Jashandeep was asked about another roommate in Edmonton who was shot in the abdomen.

However, Jashandeep claimed to have no knowledge of the reason for the shooting or why any kind of “rival gang" might be targeting his friend. He also admitted to hiding facts during his previous testimonies because he was paranoid.

News world 'I Was Kidding With Him': Indian Man In Canada Says He Wasn't Aware His Friend Was In Bishnoi Gang

Read More