Surrey, B.C., police launch team to counter extortions in South Asian community

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 8:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

A bid of reports of extortion from radical and businesses successful the South Asian assemblage have prompted a wider probe by constabulary successful Surrey, B.C.

The Surrey Police Service said in a connection that it is moving with provincial and nationalist RCMP to assistance successful their investigations, arsenic galore Canadian constabulary agencies person reported akin crimes. 

Police said they've had 10 complaints implicit the past six months of radical getting letters, telephone calls oregon societal media messages demanding wealth nether threats of violence.

The work said it has launched its ain extortion investigations squad and volition beryllium attending a nationalist information forum connected Sunday successful the metropolis organized by members of the South Asian community. It's to beryllium held astatine Reflections banquet hallway connected 152A Street astatine 2 p.m. 

Forum organizer Satish Kumar, the president of the city's Lakshmi Narayan Mandir temple, is besides announcing a $100,000 reward to promote the assemblage to help bring an extremity to the extortion and violence.

WATCH | Surrey constabulary investigating aft shootings targeted astatine businesses: 

"I'm requesting the assemblage [to] travel forward," helium told CBC News. "Don't beryllium frightened of these guys, right? They don't privation to termination you. They privation lone wealth from you guys."

Kumar said 2 caller shootings astatine his businesses are connected to ongoing extortion attempts targeting the South Asian community.

He said he received video voicemails on May 28 from numbers listed arsenic being from Italy and New Zealand that demanded $2 million.

He said helium refused to wage and reported it to constabulary astatine the time, but officials took nary action.

In the aboriginal hours of June 7, shots were fired astatine Reflections banquet hall, which he owns, helium said.

Shots were fired, helium said, at another concern he's connected to, Hub Insurance, on Tuesday.

No 1 was injured successful the shootings astatine the businesses.

Extortion threats emerged past twelvemonth and unit that followed included arsons and shootings, which constabulary successful Ontario, Alberta and B.C. said were linked to organized transgression successful the Indian authorities of Punjab. 

Surrey constabulary Chief Norm Lipinski said it's important to tackle the extortion trend head-on, but it's arsenic important to collaborate with victims and the broader assemblage to woody with it together. 

RCMP Chief Supt. Wendy Mehat, with the Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit, said they are acrophobic determination whitethorn beryllium much victims who person complied with demands and haven't gone to police. 

"We discourage anyone from responding to specified demands," said Mehat. "Officers are moving to forestall these traumatizing situations and to holding those liable to account."