CHANDIGARH: In the wave of extortion cases targeting the South Asian community in Calgary, Canada, 16 individuals of Indian origin from Punjab are now facing a total of 56 criminal charges in extortion-related cases.
The accused have allegedly been involved in shooting incidents, and police have not ruled out the possibility that they may be operating as foot soldiers for the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The Calgary Police Service has released photographs of 15 suspects in connection with the cases.
Over the last year, extortion targeting South Asian communities has become a major concern for the Calgary Police Service, following similar trends in Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area. Police have launched two operations focused on tackling the issue: Operation Orion, which is dedicated to investigations, and Operation Outage, which involves an increased police presence in South Asian communities to build trust.
According to Calgary police, 49 extortion-related incidents have been documented since April last year. The surge in criminal activity included 19 separate shooting incidents, 18 of which were directly linked to extortion demands, while one involved an internal violent conflict between individuals within the network. Sixteen individuals have so far been charged with a total of 56 offences, and police confirmed that none of them are Canadian citizens.
Superintendent Jeff Bell of the Calgary Police Service's Criminal Operations and Intelligence Division said the suspects are in Canada on a mix of student and work visas.
"We hope that by releasing these photos, community members can provide additional information to help advance our investigations."
Bell also said police are monitoring developments in other parts of the country, including Vancouver, where a recent trial involved allegations of links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
"If we come across any evidence to suggest that, we will be working with our national security partners as they are considered a terrorist organization," he said.
The suspects were identified as Ravjot Toor, Germanjeet Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Karanbir Singh, Amandeep Singh, Anurag Sidhu, Anurag Singh, Amandeep Malhi, Sandeep Singh, Daksh Gautam, Akashdeep Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Pardeep Singh, Taranveer Singh and Gurkaran Dhaliwal.
Police are also seeking public assistance in locating Germanjeet Singh, who is wanted on warrants related to an extortion incident, and in identifying suspects in two extortion cases in the Cityscape and Saddle Ridge communities.
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) has issued a special bulletin detailing what it described as a sustained campaign of coercion. It stated that the activity typically involves "financially vulnerable, young male, Indian nationals in Canada on study permits" being used as foot soldiers by gangs to carry out targeted acts of violence against South Asian diaspora communities across Canada.
The bulletin also warned that copycat actors and smaller criminal groups are exploiting the fearsome reputation of major gangs to amplify the impact of their own extortion demands.
The Calgary Police Service is working closely with law enforcement agencies across Canada, as well as the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), to determine the full extent of the operation.
The CBSA said that, as of June 18, it had opened 138 immigration investigations across the Prairies. Thirty-seven removal orders have been issued, and 18 people have been removed from Canada.