Edmonton extortion scheme linked to notorious B.C. gang, court records show

An extortion strategy that targeted South Asian homebuilders successful Edmonton is linked to the B.C.-based pack Brothers Keepers, tribunal records obtained by CBC News show.

One of the men charged successful the Project Gaslight probe pleaded blameworthy past month. The agreed facts of the lawsuit connection the archetypal elaborate look astatine the evident web down threats and arsons that terrified concern owners for months.

They besides uncover that Harpreet Uppal — the antheral killed alongside his 11-year-old lad successful a 2023 shooting — was portion of the extortion plot.

The agreed connection of facts says Uppal was a subordinate of Brothers Keepers, which B.C. RCMP person described arsenic a "prominent and convulsive gang." He was besides a "close associate" of Maninder Dhaliwal, the antheral accused of orchestrating extortions and arsons from abroad. 

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) arrested respective alleged members of the radical moving the extortion strategy successful July 2024.

Among them was 19-year-old Divnoor Singh Asht, who pleaded blameworthy connected May 23 to 3 of the 7 charges helium faced: arson, extortion and conspiring to perpetrate extortion.

Asht admitted helium was 1 of the radical liable for "assembling and instructing the little members of the radical to transportation retired the extortion and related arsons. These actions were based connected the absorption and acquisition of Maninder Dhaliwal and Harpreet Uppal, anterior to his death."

Asht was sentenced to 4½ years successful prison. With recognition for pre-sentence custody, helium has a small much than 3 years near to serve.

The agreed facts accidental immoderate successful the radical were members of Brothers Keepers, but there's nary grounds that Asht was 1 of them.

The others who were arrested — Gurkaran Singh, Manav Heer, Parminder Singh and a 17-year-old lad who can't beryllium named nether the Youth Criminal Justice Act — are inactive earlier the courts. The charges against them haven't been proven.

A 19-year-old pistillate was besides arrested successful the Project Gaslight investigation, but tribunal records amusement the charges against her were stayed successful March.

Dhaliwal was arrested successful the United Arab Emirates precocious past twelvemonth connected abstracted charges. He has yet to be prosecuted.

An extradition petition remains successful effect to nonstop him backmost to Canada. Court documents mention Canada Border Services Agency records that bespeak Dhaliwal near the state for India successful July 2023, but he's believed to person mostly directed the extortions from Dubai, successful the Emirates.

Uppal, 41, was killed astatine a southbound Edmonton state presumption connected the day of Nov. 10, 2023. At the time, EPS investigators said helium was known arsenic idiosyncratic "high up" successful the satellite of gangs and drugs.

EPS acting Supt. Colin Derksen said astatine the clip that Uppal's young lad was besides intentionally killed, calling the unit "sick and twisted." 

No 1 has been charged successful their deaths.

WATCH: Boy deliberately killed successful pack shooting, constabulary say:

Court records accidental that, before Uppal was killed, he was progressive successful the aboriginal days of a strategy wherever palmy Edmonton developers received calls and messages demanding ample sums of money.

If they didn't pay, they saw their properties spell up successful flames. In immoderate cases, determination was gunfire extracurricular their ain homes.

In Ontario and B.C., a akin signifier of extortion and unit targeting South Asian concern owners besides began successful 2023.

The RCMP acceptable up a nationalist squad earlier this twelvemonth to co-ordinate investigations into the extortion schemes, which constabulary accidental are connected and, successful immoderate cases, linked to organized crime.

Wiretap and recorded remand centre calls

According to the agreed connection of facts successful Asht's case, the Project Gaslight probe progressive a wiretap, hundreds of hours of recorded Edmonton Remand Centre calls and the seizure of dozens of integer devices.

Asht is described arsenic 1 of the "middle managers" successful the radical who took instructions from higher ranks, assigned tasks to lower-level members and reported advancement backmost up the chain. He didn't straight marque threats against the homebuilders, but helium was alert of them.

Below Asht were Heer and the youth, who were "largely, but not exclusively, the group's main arsonists," the agreed facts say.

Asht didn't personally commencement immoderate of the fires, but his relation progressive "encouraging and instructing" those who did. He besides sometimes scouted locations of imaginable arson targets and gathered impervious that the occupation was done.

In October 2023, the radical began targeting 2 homebuilders who are concern associates. CBC News is not naming the brace due to the fact that 1 has expressed fears for his information if his sanction were publically disclosed.

The tribunal papers says one man received a telephone implicit WhatsApp from idiosyncratic telling him that helium and his household would beryllium killed unless helium paid $500,000. The other started getting calls linked to the aforesaid WhatsApp account, but didn't answer.

A bid of deliberately acceptable fires targeting 1 of the builder's properties began a fewer weeks later, wholly destroying 2 afloat built homes.

WATCH | Extortions orchestrated from India, EPS says: 

After the archetypal occurrence connected Nov. 6, 2023, Asht sent Uppal a representation of fume and exigency vehicles extracurricular the spot arsenic impervious that the arson was carried out.

Two consequent attempted arsons were thwarted by backstage security. But successful 1 incident, a information defender keeping ticker implicit respective properties successful the Aster neighbourhood was attacked by a radical of 3 radical wielding a hammer and an airsoft gun.

The agreed facts picture recorded conversations from that clip betwixt Asht and Parminder Singh, who's identified arsenic a "high-ranking member" of the group.

Singh was successful the Edmonton Remand Centre aft being charged successful an Oct. 19, 2023, shooting extracurricular a developer's home.

In a telephone recorded from the jail, Asht discussed getting wealth from 1 of the homebuilders being targeted. He said helium thinks it volition enactment against the different 1 due to the fact that "he's scared" and portion helium has "extra extortion present … we volition instrumentality attraction of his other extortion too."

Singh told Asht to "take that wealth from him." Asht responded, "We person been trying. It's up to him erstwhile helium would springiness america the money."

In different telephone connected Dec. 1, 2023, Asht told Singh, "He is giving the wealth today."

Arsons past began astatine properties owned by a antithetic homebuilder.

Threats of arson, gunfire

The tribunal papers describes however developer Kulwinder Toor, with Active Homes, started receiving WhatsApp calls and messages successful aboriginal December 2023.

"You wanna play games… We are going to pain your houses successful 1 night," 1 connection said.

"Wanna play games, let's go."

Toor blocked the number, but continued getting calls from different chartless numbers. Four days later, 1 of his company's homes nether operation successful Beaumont, a metropolis conscionable southbound of Edmonton, was acceptable alight. 

Within the pursuing six weeks, 2 much of Toor's Beaumont properties burned, wholly destroying them.

The agreed facts accidental that, aft the 2nd location burned down, Toor got a telephone from a Dubai fig and spoke to idiosyncratic who identified himself arsenic Dhaliwal.

"He demanded that Toor wage him $1 cardinal and said that if helium was not paid wrong 4 days, determination would beryllium further demolition and a drive-by shooting astatine their idiosyncratic residence," adding details astir the determination wherever Toor lived.

The developer was truthful alarmed that helium fled the state with his woman and children, staying distant for respective months.

When they returned successful the spring, they hired round-the-clock idiosyncratic security.

Arsons astatine homes owned by the 3 builders targeted successful October and November of 2023 caused astir $4 cardinal full of harm successful total, according to tribunal records.

Two much developers were subsequently targeted successful precocious 2023 and aboriginal 2024, but Asht didn't admit to being progressive successful those offences.

The agreed facts accidental that, by precocious December 2023, determination started to beryllium a "clear division" betwixt the radical members, where Gurkaran Singh emerged arsenic the idiosyncratic "primarily successful complaint of instructing the squad that had been liable for the arsons."

Lawyers for the 3 adults charged successful the lawsuit — Heer, Gurkaran Singh and Parminder Singh — are acceptable to conscionable for a procedural pre-trial tribunal quality aboriginal this month.