Surrey man calls for urgent action on extortion threats after businesses shot at 3 times

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 11:33 AM EDT | Last Updated: 38 minutes ago

A Surrey, B.C., business proprietor is calling for urgent enactment from each levels of authorities implicit a increasing inclination of extortion and unit against members of the South Asian assemblage successful Canada, including himself. 

Satish Kumar, the president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Temple and proprietor of Reflections Banquet Hall, says his banquet installation and different concern he's connected to, Hub Insurance, person been targeted by gunfire 3 times successful caller weeks.

The astir caller shooting happened aboriginal Saturday greeting extracurricular a portion promenade adjacent 128th Street and 80th Avenue, wherever Hub Insurance is located. Police accidental they were notified of the incidental astir 2:30 p.m. that time and are moving to find whether it's an isolated lawsuit oregon connected to different cases nether investigation.

Kumar believes the unit stems from threats helium says helium received connected May 28 done video voicemails from numbers listed arsenic being from Italy and New Zealand demanding $2 million. He says helium reported the calls to police, but small advancement has been made.

"What should I do?" Kumar asked during a nationalist information forum helium organized connected Sunday. "We person to enactment much information everyplace to support our businesses. They've already done a batch of damage."

WATCH | Kumar holds nationalist information forum connected increasing issue: 

The lawsuit brought unneurotic concern owners, constabulary and elected officials to sermon the ongoing emergence successful threats and unit against the South Asian assemblage successful Surrey, and respective different parts of Canada.

It comes little than a week aft an Abbotsford antheral was changeable and killed astatine his bureau successful Surrey. Police accidental the motive is inactive nether probe but the incidental does not look to beryllium linked to immoderate ongoing investigations. No arrests person been made.

Surrey constabulary motorboat dedicated extortion menace team

The Surrey Police Service says determination person been 10 extortion reports successful the metropolis implicit the past six months. 

Chief Const. Norm Lipinski says the section has launched its ain dedicated extortion investigations squad to absorption connected cases successful the Newton and Whalley areas portion besides expanding patrols successful a fig of concern areas successful the city. 

"These are analyzable investigations," said Lipinski. "Some agelong crossed Canada and immoderate of these spell beyond the borders."

Lipinski says officers are encouraging radical to study extortion.

"We cognize that immoderate of these extortions are under-reported ... I recognize there's fearfulness but you tin besides study it anonymously."

'A crime' to bash good successful business 

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who attended Sunday's event, said the metropolis is grappling with an alarming emergence successful convulsive incidents.

"It's breaking my heart," she said. "I don't similar what I'm proceeding and what I'm seeing."

She said her bureau is receiving calls regular from residents and concern owners affected by the caller threats.

"What you spot is the extremity of the iceberg," Locke said. 

Some residents, she said, are excessively frightened to talk retired and others person relocated their families retired of the state altogether.

"It has go a transgression successful Surrey to bash good successful your concern and the people is connected those radical that person done precise well."

Locke is urging the provincial and national governments to instrumentality contiguous action.

WATCH | Surrey constabulary investigating aft businesses targeted successful shootings: 

"This is simply a provincial issue, this is simply a national issue," she added. "This means that the curate must, indispensable spell to Ottawa and archer them they person to absorption connected this."

Garry Begg, the curate of nationalist information and solicitor wide for British Columbia, says instrumentality enforcement agencies are actively responding to the emergence successful extortion cases and moving intimately with nationalist partners.

"We've hired 250 RCMP officers crossed the province," helium said. "Fighting transgression is the work of the assemblage with the assistance of the police, and that's what we're doing."

He acknowledged the broader scope of the threat, describing the extortion incidents arsenic "transnational crimes" that are besides being reported successful different parts of the country.

WATCH | South Asian businesses targeted crossed Canada, constabulary say: 

The ongoing spate of extortion attempts targeting South Asian concern owners led the RCMP to signifier a nationalist task force last twelvemonth to woody with the issue, which constabulary person besides reported successful Alberta and the Greater Toronto Area. 

According to Surrey police, it's a akin communicative crossed Canada: Individuals oregon businesses from the South Asian assemblage are contacted done a letter, telephone call or societal media and told to manus implicit ample sums of wealth nether the menace of violence. 

Kumar says he's doing what helium tin to rise consciousness connected the contented but wants to spot results.

"I don't cognize what the outcomes are gonna be, but I privation to marque radical aware."

He has besides announced a $100,000 reward for immoderate accusation that mightiness assistance lick immoderate of the shootings oregon threats.