By Surbhi Gogia
Dispelling rumors, Canadian politicians and law enforcement agencies have officially confirmed on one single platform that recent extortion incidents targeting South Asian businesses are genuine and happening across the country. The Surrey community took the lead in organizing a public forum to address this atypical crime.
The forum was organized by the Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of BC and led by Satish Kumar, President of Society and Lakshmi Narayan Temple. It witnessed participation of over 700 people at Reflections Banquet Hall, representing small businesses, community leaders, and politicians like MP Randeep Sarai, BC’s Attorney General Niki Sharma, Surrey City Councillors, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, Surrey RCMP assistant commissioner Brian Edwards, BC NDP MLAs Jinny Sims, Rachana Singh, Harry Bains, and Jagrup Brar, BC United MLA Elenor Sturko.
Since October, police in the Lower Mainland and other provinces have been receiving reports of small businesses facing threats through phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and letters, compelling them to provide monetary concessions. Surrey had 3 confirmed cases, with the cities of West Vancouver, Abbotsford, Edmonton (Alberta), and Brampton (Ontario) also confirming similar threats.
The primary focus of the forum was to urge victims to report extortions, explore the modus operandi of these incidents, and deliberate on the measures taken by local police and government officials to combat this unusual crime. However, a complication in BC’s judicial system, where charges must be approved by the Attorney General, was identified as a contributing factor to delays.
In the ongoing extortion investigation, Surrey RCMP apprehended two individuals but subsequently released them without charges. Notably, unlike in other provinces, law enforcement in BC lacks the authority to lay charges independently; instead, such charges require approval from the Attorney General.
Kumar’s son recently fell victim to a drive-by shooting when more than 11 shots were fired at his son’s house. While the nature of the incident was not confirmed by him, as part of an extortion threat, he expressed his commitment to bringing the community together to deal with increasing crime in the community especially extortion and drive-by shootings. He said, “We are all very scared now. I have received many calls from members of our community who have received extortion threats or given money to the extortionists.”
When asked if the recent standoff between the Temple and Khalistan supporters was also a reason to organize the forum. Kumar said his sole aim was to bring everyone in the community together irrespective of religion or ideology to fight increasing crime around us. “This meeting is not to blame anyone but to address two main concerns – driveby shootings and extortions. My son’s house was shot. And it can happen to anyone. People have got extortion calls. I know people are very scared right now but sometimes don’t want to come forward.”
He requested the victims not to give in to the demands of the criminals. “There are rumours that people are also giving in to the demands of the extortionists. Please trust the law and trust police and report the threat. Police can only work if they have the knowledge,” Kumar said.
The message from the authorities was very clear, whether the extortionists are within Canada or beyond its borders, law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing them. It won’t be long before they face consequences and are unable to persist with their extortion calls, alleviating the prevailing atmosphere of panic.
MP Sarai addressed the gathering, urging citizens to report any threats to the police. Sarai emphasized that reporting is crucial, even if updates from the police may not be immediate. He also cautioned against blaming international students for the incidents, stating that the majority are hardworking individuals contributing positively to the community.
Niki Sharma, BC Attorney General, acknowledged the increase in violence across Canada post-COVID and assured collaboration with federal, local governments, and police to provide necessary resources for investigations.
Brain Edwards, Assistant Commissioner of Surrey RCMP, shed light on the ongoing investigation, revealing that extortion incidents in Surrey follow a remarkably similar pattern to those in other jurisdictions, including Edmonton and Brampton, Ontario. Edwards assured the community of the police’s commitment to the case and urged citizens to cooperate, emphasizing that a successful resolution requires the community’s support. Edwards also explained the high threshold for charge approval in Canada for the release of two men, but said he was confident of successfully cracking the case. He said, “More that 200 officers are working on this file since October. We have put forward 20K investigative hours.”
Surrey Mayor Locke stressed that the issue is not limited to Surrey but is a national, and potentially international, problem. She highlighted the city council’s dedication to addressing the crisis as their number one priority and called for the appointment of a special prosecutor in the case.
According to Global News it obtained and authenticated an internal Abbotsford police memo that described extortion involving shootings at the homes of two families, and an arson at an Abbotsford business.
The news outlet reported that the “suspects are believed to be associated to the Lawrence BISHNOI gang based in India according to the memo, adding that the extortion appears to target affluent members of the South Asian community.” The police too did not rule out international involvement but did not confirm anything since it is still under investigation.
A memorandum of demands was also presented to the officials at the forum. The memorandum has called for increased police patrols in areas considered high-risk or prone to criminal activities, awareness campaign to educate public against these threats and to explore the possibility of collaborating with other federal agencies to find root cause of these criminal activities.
