CHANDIGARH: The Indo-Canadian business community is getting extortion calls from gangsters in Canada. The Canadian police are investigating at least 18 such cases that have occurred since October last year.
These transnational gangs have links in India and operate in Canada. India has expressed its deep concern over the members of the Indian community getting extortion calls from gangsters in Canada.
The Edmonton Police Service in a statement released recently asked the public to come forward to report extortion and assist in identifying a person of interest in a related arson series.
Police are investigating at least 18 incidents of extortion that have occurred in the Edmonton region since October. The suspects reportedly target members of the South Asian business community, using WhatsApp to text or call victims and demand large sums of money. In some cases, the suspects appear to know the victim’s personal information, such as family members, vehicles and lifestyle patterns.
“Failure to pay the extorted sum results in arson or other property damage to new homes and related property. The suspects have also been known to make follow-up demands for higher sums of money, leading to an escalation of violence and drive-by shootings,’’ read the Edmonton Police Service statement.
To date, six young males have been arrested for shooting and arson incidents that have been connected to the extortion series.
On December 27 in a shooting incident that appeared to be targeted at the home of the son of Satish Kumar, the president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, British Columbia. Although Kumar’s son was not injured in the incident, bullets hit his property in the Newton area.
Last year on December 22, Peel Regional Police (PRP) announced it was setting up a task force to investigate a disturbing trend of extortion attempts in the Greater Toronto Area.