Toronto: The mayors of the towns of Brampton in Ontario and Surrey in British Columbia have jointly asked Ottawa to act to stem the menace of extortion attempts that have targeted Indo-Canadian businesses in their areas and also in other parts of Canada.
Brampton mayor Patrick Brown and his Surrey counterpart Brenda Locke sent a letter to Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc in this regard last week. According to the daily Toronto Star, the mayors expressed their “deep concern” over the increase in “extortion attempts and violent acts, including shootings”.
“This alarming development underscores the severity and widespread nature of these threats, which are predominantly targeting members of the South Asian business community. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and local police departments, including Peel Regional Police (PRP), have acknowledged the gravity of the situation,” the letter noted.
“We implore you to prioritise this issue and engage in a concerted effort with local and provincial authorities, along with necessary federal agencies, to develop a comprehensive strategy to address these extortion threats,” the letter added.
It came as such extortion attempts targeting Indo-Canadian businesses have surged in recent months, and have been reported from the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, which includes Surrey, and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which includes Brampton, and also Edmonton in the province of Alberta.
The outlet Global News had cited local law enforcement in Abbotsford in BC as believing the source of the threats could be linked to Indian gangs, particularly that run by Lawrence Bishnoi.
Thus far there have been 16 such cases reported from the GTA, 35 from the Lower Mainland, and 18 in Edmonton, where arson attempts have also been connected to extortion.
On January 6, a community forum was held in Surrey to address this matter. It was organised by the president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Satish Kumar days after his son’s residence was peppered with bullets in the middle of the night on December 27. “This was to address our two main concerns – driveby shootings and extortion calls,” Kumar said after the event.
Earlier this month, Peel Regional Police said that it was “currently investigating a disturbing trend of extortion attempts” targeting Indo-Canadian businesses. While it has set up an Extortion Investigative Task Force, it also announced a hotline for those facing such threats to contact police. It said that 16 such incidents in the GTA were under investigation. There are 18 investigations in progress in Edmonton and several more in the Metro Vancouver region, including Surrey and Abbotsford.
On January 4, Edmonton Police Service said 18 such investigations were ongoing in the capital of Alberta. EPS also said six persons have been arrested so far in this connection “for shooting and arson incidents that have been connected to the extortion series”. They include 20-year-old Parminder Singh, who faces 12 firearms-related charges connected to an October 19 shooting at a residence in the city. He remains in custody. Others were identified as Hassan Dembil, 18, Manav Heer, 18, Ravinder Sandu, 19, who were charged with arson-related offences linked to a December 19 residential fire. They have since been released. Also arrested and then released was Arjun Sahnan, 19, who faces five firearms-related charges.
On December 9, PRP arrested 23-year-old Tanmanjot Gill, resident of Abbotsford in British Columbia, “for discharging a gun and firing multiple rounds at a business” in the town of Brampton in the GTA. Officers are looking for a second suspect, described as a South Asian male of medium build.
In an interview with the news network CP24 on Tuesday, Brown said the joint letter was to seek Federal intervention because not only were several areas in Canada impacted, but the gang-related activity had an international dimension. “We can’t tolerate our residents being terrorised,” he said.
The Bishnoi gang’s main figure in Canada, Satinderjeet Singh, better known as Goldy Brar, is believed to be based in Brampton. He had claimed credit for the killing of Punjabi entertainer-turned-politician Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022. The Indian government declared Brar a terrorist this year, alleging that he assisted pro-Khalistan groups including the Babbar Khalsa International, which is also a listed terrorist entity in Canada. India has also warned of the intersection between gangs and separatists. None of the allegations against Brar have been tested in a Canadian court.
Vikram Sharma is a globe-trotting journalist with a global perspective on international events. His articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing insights into the world’s most pressing challenges.
