Inside 'Hood 420:' Bishnoi-linked gang tied to threats against B.C. radio station
Documents obtained by CBC News have identified a suspect in a brazen shooting and extortion campaign which took place one year ago against an outspoken Surrey, B.C. radio station.
In addition to the attack on Radio Swift 1200 AM last September, Ravinder Singh is suspected of playing an organizing role related to extortion cases in Ontario that have resulted in more than 100 charges against 17 men earlier this year.
According to Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) records, obtained through an Access to Information request, the 25-year-old belongs to Hood 420.
Hood 420 is a gang authorities claim is either directly linked to Lawrence Bishnoi, or using his name to carry out threats in multiple provinces.
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The IRB issued a deportation order for organized criminality against Ravinder Singh in July after he was implicated in shootings across Canada — including one on Sept. 29, 2025, at Radio Swift 1200 AM.
A transcript of the hearing says Ravinder Singh's phone contained a note matching the threat sent to Swift 1200 AM's owner in the names of Bishnoi and gang leader Goldy Dhillon "demanding five (5) million dollars and threatening harm if demands are not met."
Documents raise questions about inmate escape
Ravinder Singh's detention and admissibility hearings provide new insight into major extortion investigations in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. — most notably a mass crackdown by Peel Regional Police last May on a group facing 106 charges connected to 24 incidents.
While police had previously linked those extortions to a group called For Brothers, the IRB documents claim Singh "was part of the Bishnoi Gang or a closely tied subgroup under the name Hood 420 and that he and a number of other individuals were involved in criminal activity."
The documents also raise questions about the November 2025 escape of Ravinder Singh's alleged accomplice in another set of extortions — Jagdeep Singh, a 24-year-old still wanted on a Canada wide-warrant in connection with multiple shootings in Surrey and northern Alberta.
The Canada Border Services Agency previously said only that Jagdeep Singh escaped from Rockyview Hospital in Calgary while undergoing medical assessment.
But the transcripts of Ravinder Singh's hearing suggest Jagdeep Singh complained of drug withdrawal to give the slip to the contracted guards charged with keeping him in custody while at hospital.
The escape was mentioned during Ravinder Singh's admissibility hearing because — despite having previously told the CBSA he had no drug issues — Ravinder Singh also started displaying substance withdrawal symptoms when he was arrested.
He told CBSA officers he "uses black tar heroin or opium daily."
A lawyer for the Ministry of Public Safety told the IRB Ravinder Singh "was transported to the hospital and it should also be noted that this is the exact same scenario that resulted in the escape of his friend Mr. Jagdeep Singh from CBSA custody."
According to the documents, Ravinder Singh was treated with suboxone and ultimately released back into immigration custody, where he was referred for ongoing medical treatment.
In a statement, the CBSA told CBC News the agency is "conducting a full review" of Jagdeep Singh's escape.
"It is standard practice for the CBSA to use contracted guards to maintain custody and control of detained individuals 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The guards keep individuals safe and secure through regular observation, monitoring, engagement, and intervention," the CBSA statement said.
"Guards are also responsible for transporting individuals, including their luggage and personal effects, to and from various locations as required. All other aspects of detention operations are handled by CBSA officials."
'Get rid of them'
Ravinder Singh has been charged with weapons offences in Alberta and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence of discharging a firearm in connection with the Ontario cases, but has never been charged in the Swift 1200 AM shootings.
The IRB documents claim representatives of the Ministry of Public Safety and the Crown have discussed staying criminal charges against Singh so he can be removed from Canada.
But a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency told CBC News the charges against Singh are still outstanding.
Ravinder Singh represented himself at the immigration proceedings, but declined to respond to the allegations against him.
"My father back home is very sick and I want to go as soon as possible. I want to see him before anything bad happens," he told the tribunal at one point.
"I do want to give a statement, but nobody is going to believe on my statement. So, it's okay. I don't want to make any statement."
WATCH | Radio station hit by gunfire:
Surrey radio station hit by gunfire amid extortion threats targeting South Asian community
October 1, 2025|
Duration
2:08
Swift 1200 AM host Jinny Sims says she thinks he should be deported — the sooner the better.
"I used to say, 'No, they should pursue the charges.' [But now] I think if there's a quicker way to get rid of them — get rid of them," says Sims, who has served for the provincial and federal NDP as both a member of B.C.'s Legislative Assembly and an MP.
"This extortion business is destroying our community. It has created such big fear that's it's only when you're going to see these deportations — and I'm not saying just pick up anybody and deport them — but where you've got strong evidence then deport them, and they won't be here recruiting people while they're waiting for a trial."
Known by the alias 'Coach'
Ravinder Singh came to Canada in August 2019 on a study permit.
He later obtained a work permit — which expired last January — for employment at a Surrey-based wall and ceiling company.
An Ontario Provincial Police intelligence analyst who testified at Ravinder Singh's admissibility hearing said Singh first came to police attention in fall 2025 after a series of shootings at residences and businesses in Caledon and Brampton, Ont.
"Extortion threats were received by the victim, claiming affiliation to the Bishnoi gang, and there was a demand for finances," the analyst testified.
"Witness statement had provided aliases for involved members. Initially, Mr. Singh was known by the alias 'Coach.' And through investigation, his true identity was determined."
According to the IRB transcripts, police began to make those connections after RCMP arrested Ravinder Singh in Red Deer in November — when he met Jagdeep Singh, who was then a suspect in shootings targeting a tire shop owner in Parkland, about 75 km west of Edmonton.
The attackers shot up a home where seven people were present, later sending a video of the incidents and demanding $2 million.
Ravinder Singh allegedly showed up to meet Jagdeep Singh in a Dodge Challenger, where police found a gun linked to seven extortion-related shootings and a phone that tied him to many more.
'Locations and instructions'
Police examined Ravinder Singh's phone, which is how they discovered that his alleged accomplices knew him by the nickname "Coach."
Investigators allegedly found messages sent to Jagdeep Singh with information about the targets of the Alberta shootings.
And they found WhatsApp messages sent to Iqbal Singh Bhagria, the suspect charged in connection with the extortion shootings in Caledon and Brampton.
"This shows Mr. Ravinder sending locations and instructions that align with the shooting events that occurred," a lawyer for the Ministry of Public Safety claimed.
"And it's also noted that these are the same locations and instructions that were found in Iqbal Bhagria's phone when he was also arrested."
Armed with that evidence, authorities in Edmonton arrested Ravinder Singh a second time in February for immigration and traffic safety warrants.
He was driving a grey Toyota Camry when police picked him up — a vehicle allegedly linked, through distinctive damage and CCTV footage, to a series of Surrey extortion cases which took place in the fall of 2025.
The vehicle was also identified as a suspect vehicle in the Swift 1200 AM shooting.
Gang called 'Hood 420'
Ravinder Singh's admissibility hearing included testimony from RCMP Const. Mohamed El Krich, the primary investigator for the Alberta extortion shootings — which also saw Molotov cocktails thrown at a business.
El Krich said the victim in that case received messages citing Bishnoi gang member Goldy Dhillon and threatening, "Pay us or your family is going to find you in a body bag," or, "If we don't find you today, we'll find you tomorrow."
The RCMP officer said Ravinder Singh's phone contained the "extortion script" sent to Swift 1200 AM Radio, as well as evidence of him searching the addresses of extortion victims and directions for shooters "such as where to stand or where to change the vehicle licence plates."
El Krich also drew the connection between Ravinder Singh and the group known as Hood 420.
"There is content in his phone, indicating that he was a member of this group, including photos of ammunition that was laid out to spell Hood 420, as well as photos of an event where bottle service was an option and they had the group name advertised on the bottle service delivery," El Krich said.
Although associated with marijuana in Canada, the number 420 has a particular meaning in Indian criminal subculture — a reference to Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code which concerns "cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property."
A lawyer for the Ministry of Public Safety asked El Krich if Hood 420 is affiliated with Lawrence Bishnoi, the imprisoned gang leader who authorities say has built a global network from an Indian jail cell.
"Considering that the extortion demands claim affiliation to these criminal organisations, I think that it's very likely there is a connection," El Krich replied.
'What's the point?'
Ravinder Singh has been in immigration detention since February.
RCMP in Alberta have since announced charges against Ravinder Singh and Jagdeep Singh in connection with the Parkland shootings, and B.C.'s provincial Extortion Task Force announced charges against Jagdeep Singh and two others for shootings in Surrey.
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And in May, Peel Police's Extortion Task Force included Ravinder Singh and Iqbal Singh Bhagria's names in a roundup of 17 individuals accused of "a [co-ordinated] campaign of intimidation, threats, and escalating violence used to extort local businesses."
A spokesperson for the Peel Police told CBC News the charges remain pending before the courts.
"However, our investigations remain active," Peel Police said in a statement.
"And we anticipate making additional arrests and laying further charges in the near future."
Swift 1200 AM host Sims says that, while recent reports of extortion cases appear to have slowed down, the South Asian community is still very afraid.
She called on police and the CBSA to provide more information.
"You want the victims to keep doing all this stuff, give you everything they do, but then there is silence for weeks and months," she said.
"They need to get updates, and they need to know that you're doing something. Otherwise people are not going to give you names. They're going to say 'What's the point? Nothing happens.'"
WATCH | Letter from Bishnoi gang to police disclosed:
Letter from Bishnoi gang to police disclosed to CBC News
September 16|
Duration
2:57
CBC News has obtained a warning letter the Bishnoi gang sent to Abbotsford police last summer. In it, the gang states it will soon rule Canada and claims it has 5,000 members in the country who can be hired for $1,000 a shooting.KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.