How Indian government agents in Canada targeted Modi’s opponents

The RCMP has linked six Indian diplomats and consular officials to a wave of shootings, killings, threats, arsons and extortions in Canada.

Agents working out of India’s high commission in Ottawa and consulates in Vancouver and Toronto were behind dozens of violent crimes across Canada that targeted opponents of the Modi government, Global News has learned.

Although on paper they held diplomatic and consular positions, the Indian agents played key roles in a wave of shootings, killings, threats, arsons and extortions in Canada, according to senior sources familiar with the matter.

The victims were mostly supporters of the Khalistan movement, which seeks independence for India’s Sikh-majority Punjab region. But others were simply rivals of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the sources said.

The Canadian government announced on Monday it was expelling six Indian diplomats and consular officials “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India.”

To insulate themselves from their involvement in the operation, the Indian diplomats used coercion, and sometimes cash payments, to convince community members to collect information about their targets in Canada.

The photos and intelligence they collected was fed back to their handlers at the Indian diplomatic missions in Canada. Organized crime groups, notably India’s Lawrence Bishnoi gang, were then tasked with carrying out the violence.

The Indian High Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar Verma, allegedly oversaw the scheme. Another Ottawa-based diplomat, as well as two consular officials in Toronto and another two in Vancouver, were allegedly involved.

A typical scenario involves the embassy or consulates withholding visas to community members in Canada who need to travel to India. Victims are told they can have a visa, but they must earn it by conducting tasks for the diplomats.