A man identified by Canadian immigration authorities as a member of a violent student gang has been deported to India nearly five years after officials first flagged him as a potential public safety risk.
Documents obtained by CBC News show that Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu, 26, was identified by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in 2020 as being linked to a Surrey-based gang known as the Ruffians, a group police say was involved in drug trafficking and violent offences.
Despite those concerns, Sandhu remained in Canada for years while immigration proceedings moved through the system. During that period, police reports described what authorities called a “high-risk lifestyle” involving firearms incidents, alleged fraud, stolen vehicles, fleeing police and suspected drive-by shootings.
CBC reports that in a memorandum written in November last year, a border agency officer described Sandhu repeatedly moving in and out of custody while awaiting the outcome of his immigration case.
It is further reported that the authorities said he had forfeited more than C$45,000 in cash and performance bonds tied to release conditions and repeatedly breached electronic monitoring requirements, including curfew and location restrictions.
The officer concluded there were no viable alternatives to detention that could adequately mitigate the risk to the public.
Sandhu was ultimately found inadmissible to Canada for organised criminality by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada in November. His attempt to overturn the decision in the Federal Court of Canada failed, clearing the way for his deportation to India last month.
Court records examined during the proceedings suggest investigators were also looking into possible links between Sandhu and individuals suspected in a wave of extortion cases affecting Canadian communities.
Authorities cited connections between Sandhu and another man, Arshdeep Singh, who was removed from Canada after a separate immigration hearing.
Records also referred to a video in which both men appeared alongside Bandhu Maan Singh Sekhon, whom police in Delhi have accused of orchestrating shootings at a Surrey café owned by a Bollywood actor.
Sandhu has not been charged in any extortion cases. However, government lawyers argued his pattern of police interactions and associations suggested involvement in a broader criminal network under investigation.
The case highlights difficulties authorities sometimes face when immigration proceedings rely on patterns of behaviour and intelligence rather than criminal convictions.
In court filings, Sandhu argued he had never been convicted of a crime in Canada despite several arrests and investigations.
“I maintain that I have not engaged in organised criminality,” Sandhu said in an affidavit filed from an immigration holding centre in January, while acknowledging he had “not always made positive choices” about the people he associated with.
Sandhu arrived in Canada from India in December 2016 at the age of 17 and became a permanent resident two years later as a dependent of his mother. In his account to the court, he said he struggled to adapt to adult education programs after arriving in the country and eventually left school in 2018.
Authorities later alleged he became associated with the Ruffians, a gang believed to have operated in the Surrey area. Investigators cited social media posts and a chest tattoo depicting an AK-47 rifle, which they said corresponded with the gang’s symbol.
A spokesperson for British Columbia’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit told CBC News that police had previously worked with border officials to dismantle the group.
After authorities began targeting the gang in British Columbia, records show Sandhu moved to Ontario and later to Edmonton. Charges relating to stolen property and drug trafficking laid in Ontario were eventually withdrawn.
While awaiting the outcome of his immigration case, Sandhu was released under strict conditions including a nightly curfew, electronic monitoring and significant financial bonds. Records kept by border officials in Edmonton detail numerous alleged breaches, including failing to charge his monitoring device, missing curfews and entering restricted areas.
Police also questioned him in connection with a firearm-related incident in August 2024 involving suspects under investigation for extortion and vehicle fraud. In September 2025, a complainant alleged Sandhu and two others were involved in a vehicle sale scam in which payment was made but the vehicle was never delivered. The complainant later reported receiving threatening phone calls.
Sandhu was charged with uttering threats in October 2025, and in the same month police identified his vehicle as one linked to a shooting incident. Authorities placed him back into immigration detention in early November while the immigration board considered its final ruling.
In an effort to stop his removal from Canada, Sandhu argued he would face persecution if returned to India due to his claimed involvement in the Khalistan extremist movement. A pre-removal risk assessment found no evidence that Sandhu held a significant position in the movement.
In his affidavit, Sandhu said he had no home or immediate family able to support him in India and warned deportation would cause hardship for his wife, mother and pets. The court rejected the request, and Canadian authorities removed him from the country last month.
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