CHANDIGARH: Two Indian-origin men from Punjab have been arrested and charged in a case of alleged firing at a residence in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, under the Criminal Code following a Surrey Police Service (SPS) investigation into the recent wave of extortion-related violence in the city.
A statement issued by the SPS said two men have been arrested and charged with Criminal Code offences following an investigation into an alleged shots-fired incident near a residence on June 11.
“The SPS Frontline officers were called shortly after 6 am about reports that gun shots had been fired outside a residence near 96 Avenue and 133A Street about 30 minutes earlier, at approximately 5.30 am. Officers confirmed damage caused by gunfire to the exterior of the residence. The residence was occupied at the time of the shots fired and fortunately no one was injured,” it added.
The SPS Extortion Response Team (ExRT) took over the investigation, with support from Project Assurance and frontline officers, following an initial probe by the SPS Major Crime Section. Suspects and two associated residences in Surrey were identified, and search warrants were obtained.
“On June 12, SPS ExRT members executed the warrants with the assistance of the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team (LMD ERT), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and other SPS teams. Four men were arrested during the execution of the warrants. Two men are now charged with Criminal Code offences in connection with the June 11 shooting. Twenty-one-year-old Arman Singh has been charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, while Simarjeet Singh (22) has been charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm,” the statement read.
Both Arman and Simarjeet have been remanded in custody. The next scheduled court date is June 29. They are both foreign nationals and SPS has engaged the CBSA. The other two men arrested have not been charged with criminal offences at this time and are currently in the custody of the CBSA.
SPS is taking the additional step of releasing photographs of both Arman and Simarjeet after determining that disclosure is necessary to assist ongoing police investigations. SPS hopes the public release of their images will prompt additional witnesses, victims or associates to come forward with relevant information regarding their activities.
Any information provided by the public or associates can assist police in gathering information on the individuals and potential criminal networks involved in violent extortions.
In September last year, the Surrey Extortion Reward Fund of $250,000 was established to offer individuals with key information the opportunity to collect a reward if charges and convictions against those responsible for these crimes are secured.
According to the latest figures, there have been 128 reported cases of extortion-related violence in Surrey this year, including 20 incidents of firing and two cases of arson.