Conservatives Blast Trudeau Government for Turning Canada Into Safe Haven For Extortionists
The consequences of catch-and-release policies for repeat offenders was evident again last week when Peel Regional Police in Ontario arrested five people, including a Brampton resident who was out on bail, as well as Arundeep Thind, who was charged of assault and extortion.
It is the second time this year that Thind has been charged with extortion.
Dupinderdeep Cheema, a 36-year-old man from Brampton; Beant Dhillon, a 51-year-old man from Brampton; Arundeep Thind, a 39-year-old man of unknown address; Mustapha Alawiye, a 32-year-old man from Mississauga; Kymani Hassakourinas, a 32-year-old man from Mississauga were arrested and charged.
According to police, these men were involved in multiple extortions between December 2023 and May 2024 where they extorted victims by assaulting, threatening and discharging firearms.
It turns out Arundeep Thind was also arrested in early January this year when on January 26, 2024, a 32-year-old victim allegedly received a phone call and threatening WhatsApp messages demanding large sums of money.
Thind was arrested when Peel police launched a task force in December into a number of extortion incidents targeting the South Asian business community. The police said he was held for a bail hearing and attended the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton in February.
The Conservative Party of Canada led by Pierre Poilievre blamed increasing extortions and violence on the Liberal government’s “reckless policies.” He claimed that since Trudeau became Prime Minister, extortion is up 218 percent across Canada while violent crime has risen by 39 percent. “This is happening because the Liberal Government made it easier for gangsters and extortionists to get out of jail and re-offend. They did this by passing Bill C-5, which eliminated mandatory jail time for committing extortion with a firearm, and by passing Bill C-75, which makes it easier for repeat offenders to get back onto our streets.”
The South Asian Business community has been rocked across Canada by extortion calls with maximum cases cropping in Lower Mainland, Brampton and Edmonton.
Extortions calls started as rumours in 2023 October. But a few months later, police confirmed that the South Asian businesses were indeed facing threats through phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and letters, compelling them to provide monetary concessions. The cases were confirmed in Surrey, West Vancouver, Abbotsford, Edmonton (Alberta), and Brampton (Ontario).
The Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of BC and led by Satish Kumar, President of Society and Lakshmi Narayan Temple also organized a big forum in January of 2024 to bring Canadian politicians and law enforcement agencies together to raise awareness about these threat calls.
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 Crown, was identified as a contributing factor to delays.
In February, a nation-wide alliance of various police departments across Canada was put in place to help coordinate and advance a series of threat/extortion investigations. Peel Regional Police quickly put together our Extortion Investigative Task Force (EITF) for the sole purpose of protecting community and to hold those responsible, accountable.
“Surrey RCMP remains fully committed to investigating reports of extortions targeting our South Asian business owners,” informed Chief Superintendent Shawn Gill, Senior Operations Officer at Surrey RCMP Detachment.
Who is behind extortions?
According to media reports in Canada and India, various gangs from India were behind these extortions, Canadian police departments did not confirm anything at the beginning.
One news outlet reported that in an extortion incident in Abbotsford, 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.
The Edmonton Police officials later also publicly confirmed that the series of arsons, shootings and extortions affecting local South Asian community in Edmonton since October 2023 were being conducted by local individuals directed by a suspect in India.
Inspector Lance Parker of organized crime branch of Edmonton Police said in a press conference this week. “At this time, we believe the series has been committed by a group of local individuals being directed by a suspect in India.”
Police declined to comment further on the Indian connection and said Canada’s federal police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, were handling the cross-border aspect of the investigation.
Peel Regional Police Extortion Investigative Task Force and other police agencies have made several arrests over the past few months, however, the business community is still suffering and still getting extortion calls.
Conservatives introduced Bill C-381, the Protection Against Extortion Act, to strengthen mandatory prison time. “Unfortunately, the Liberal-NDP coalition voted against this bill allowing extortionists back into our communities. Canadians now know that only a Common Sense Conservative Government will bring home safe streets by delivering jail, not bail for violent repeat offenders,” Poilievre said in a release.
