Police in B.C., Alberta and Ontario are now part of a cross-border team to investigate a number of extortion threats and violence that have targeted South Asian individuals and businesses in recent months.
RCMP announced a national coordination and support team has been created, working with police departments in the three provinces, and outside of Canada, to address the incidents. The team has been up and running since the new year, RCMP Supt. Adam MacIntosh said during a news conference at B.C. RCMP headquarters in Surrey Thursday (Feb. 15).
While the individual police investigations have led to arrests and charges, MacIntosh said the national team has allowed the various police departments to discuss their investigations and share intelligence and information.
sa国际传媒淭he team is looking at all similarities and motivations as well as reports that these incidents are associated to organized crime groups,sa国际传媒� MacIntosh said.
The team says that police in Canada have reported that individuals or businesses from the South Asian community are generally contacted through letters, phone calls or social media, demanding money under a threat of violence.
sa国际传媒淲e discourage anyone from complying with demands for money.sa国际传媒�
In B.C., a photo of letter began circulating online that said two Abbotsford houses shot at in November were targeted because they did not pay sa国际传媒減rotection money.sa国际传媒� At the time, Abbotsford Police Const. Art Steele said he couldnsa国际传媒檛 elaborate on the matter as it was under investigation.
In December 2023, Surrey RCMP said two men had been arrested in connection with the extortion investigation. The Surrey men, both in their twenties, were released shortly after .
Police in Abbotsford, Surrey and Vancouver first warned of the extortion letters on Nov. 23, saying they might have been sent en masse to businesses, requesting money in exchange for protection from violence. In December, the local police agencies said the incidents and letters could be from gang members in India.
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In Alberta, the Edmonton Police Service has a dedicated team working on Project Gaslight, which has a reported 34 events in the city.
The latest update from Edmonton Police, on Jan. 18, said the areasa国际传媒檚 South Asian community had been targeted in extortions, arsons and sa国际传媒渇irearm offences.sa国际传媒� An estimated $9 million in property damage had been reported as a result of the arsons and shootings.
In Ontario, Peel Regional Police said in a Feb. 12 news conference that suspects have been using social media or internet-based messaging platforms to contact victims under the demand for money with the threat of violence.
On Jan. 24, a task force dedicated to the extortion investigations searched a home in Brampton, Ont. and four people were arrested and charged. More than 50 cellphones, 11 laptops, a sa国际传媒渓arge sum of cashsa国际传媒� and a firearm with several rounds of ammunition were seized.
sa国际传媒淭his was terrorizing our community. This was terrorizing the South Asian community, sa国际传媒� Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said
The national coordination team wonsa国际传媒檛 be taking over the various investigations, but will instead be helping to provide tools and support to advance the local investigations.
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MacIntosh said he couldnsa国际传媒檛 speak to a connection to India and whether or not RCMP had made contact with police agencies there.
sa国际传媒淲hat I can tell you is theresa国际传媒檚 a lot of information out there right now whosa国际传媒檚 responsible, why theysa国际传媒檙e responsible and how these things are occurring, phone calls or letters, et cetera.sa国际传媒�
If a police agency has already released details specific to their investigation, sa国际传媒渢hatsa国际传媒檚 for them to speak to and I welcome them to do that.sa国际传媒�
He added RCMP deal with investigations that have international components and organized crime ever day.
B.C.sa国际传媒檚 Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the announcement of the team is a sa国际传媒渨elcome step forward in combating organized crime and extortion attempts in our communities.sa国际传媒� Tackling organized crime, he said, is a shared responsibility across all levels of government.
sa国际传媒� With files from Vikki Hopes
