CHANDIGARH: In a first, the Surrey City Council in Canada has urged the federal government to take immediate action and implement a full-scale national initiative to curb extortion and gang violence targeting residents, business owners, and communities across the country, with gangsters from Punjab said to be largely involved in extortion cases affecting South Asians.
Beyond the 35 suspected extortion cases last year, Surrey recorded a total of 132 extortion attempts, 49 of which involved shootings. Most of the incidents in British Columbia have targeted members of the South Asian community. In recent months, several prominent Punjabi-origin businessmen have been killed in Canada.
A few days ago, 48-year-old Binder Garcha, owner of Studio 12 and a banquet hall, was shot dead in Surrey. In October last year, 68-year-old Darshan Singh Sahsi, president of Canam International, was shot dead outside his home in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
In May last year, Harjeet Singh Dhadda, who ran a trucking safety and insurance consultancy, was shot dead outside his office in Mississauga. On June 11, 2024, 57-year-old Satwinder Sharma, a well-known businessman who ran a workforce supply company for 33 years, was shot dead in his office in Surrey.
Two Punjabi students, Gurdeep Singh (27) and Ranveer Singh (18), were also shot dead in Edmonton, while 28-year-old Dilraj Singh Gill of Vancouver was shot dead in Burnaby two days ago. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said residents and business owners were living in constant fear.
“This is unlike anything Surrey has faced before. Police are working hard, but we need a coordinated, nationwide approach that prevents these crimes and protects Canadians,” she said.
At a trilateral summit held in Surrey on November 28 last year, federal and provincial governments committed to addressing the violence. However, since then, the problem has escalated, with extortion cases reported across Canada since 2023 nearing 1,500, including 34 cases in Surrey in the past three weeks.In a letter to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Locke urged the appointment of a national extortion commissioner to bring together police, experts, governments, and community leaders to identify root causes and solutions.