Toronto : Five individuals of Indian origin residing in Canada have been apprehended for alleged extortion, including two women, targeting the South Asian business community in the Greater Toronto Area.
The Peel Regional Police Blackmail Investigative Task Force (EITF), with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), executed a search warrant resulting in the arrest of four individuals: Gagan Ajit Singh, 23; Anmoldeep Singh, 23; Hashmeet Kaur, 25; Iyamjot Kaur, 21; and Arundeep Thind, 39, according to a Peel Regional Police press release on Wednesday.
While Gagan Ajit Singh, Hashmeet Kaur, and Iyamjot Kaur are residents of the Brampton area, Anmoldeep Singh resides in Mississauga. They have been charged with blackmail, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of prohibited or restricted weapons, and extortion, among other offenses. The fifth suspect, Arundeep Thind, has no fixed address and has been charged with extortion.
The Peel Regional Police launched the EITF in December last year in response to a surge of South Asian business owners reporting threats of violence against them and their families if they did not pay money, according to a CBC News report.
Director Shelley Thompson, who leads the unit, stated at a news conference on Wednesday that a total of 24 charges have been laid in connection with the 29 extortion attempts under investigation.
Thompson mentioned that in nine of those instances, firearms were discharged at empty businesses, according to the Toronto Star newspaper. However, no injuries were reported in connection with the shootings.
She further explained that the targeted businesses varied but included restaurants, bakeries, trucking and transport companies, and independent used car dealerships, all owned by South Asians. Describing the modus operandi, Thompson said the owners were contacted either by phone, social media apps, or video calling services like WhatsApp.
The financial demands varied from victim to victim, Thompson said, but the perpetrators would always request either cash or money transfers in Canadian dollars or Indian rupees.
Similar extortion attempts are under investigation by law enforcement in Edmonton, the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, and several regions in the US, she said.
She stated that the Peel Task Force is in contact with police services in all of those areas, as well as with the police agencies in India.
“There is currently no information to suggest that the extortion attempts in Peel are connected to broader Indian organized crime,” Thompson said, adding that such a possibility is actively being explored.
