Canada cops arrest 3 Indian-origin gangsters, see trend of South-Asian targets

Three Indian-origin men have been arrested in Canada’s Brampton after they fired inside a business establishment in the city in an extortion bid, the Peel Police said on May 5. The police said that the crime was part of a trend targeting South Asian businesses in the area.

The police said it had probed over 60 extortion cases, nine involving gunfire at vacant properties, and filed more than 150 charges since December 2023, reported The Australia Today.

The three men, Harpal Singh (34), Rajnoor Singh (20), and Eknoor Singh (22), were arrested by the police on May 1. The three men of Indian origin are facing extortion charges and have been remanded in custody ahead of a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice.

On 30 April, a shot was fired at the business firm while nobody was inside the property during this incident.

However, the Peel Police said, the “victim began receiving messages from an unknown individual making demands for money”.

Later, the Peel Regional Police launched an investigation and arrested these individuals.

Following the arrest, a bigger campaign was launched by Peel Police, which said a “disturbing trend” of extortion attempts targeting the South Asian business community had emerged, reported The Australia Today.

The trend of extortion bids and the incident has sent shockwaves in the local community.

Members of the local community, while praising the police action, underlined that more needed to be done.

Priya Sharma, a restaurant owner from Brampton, told the Australian news portal that several small-business owners in the locale were scared.

“When you open your doors every morning, you shouldn’t have to wonder if this is the day someone comes with a gun,” Sharma was quoted as saying by The Australia Today.

“We need clear messaging from all levels of government that these crimes will not be tolerated,” she added.

The police said its multiple teams, using surveillance, community incident response, and tactical methods, carried out a thorough investigation into the case before arresting the three accused.

Deputy Chief of the Peel Police, Marc Andrews, said the arrest was part of a broader campaign launched by the agency in December 2023 after a “disturbing trend” of extortion attempts targeting the South Asian business community emerged.

“Our investigators are relentless, and we will use every tool available at our disposal to identify, arrest, and hold those who commit these offences accountable,” said Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews.

“No business owner should have to live in fear of doing honest work,” Andrews added.

In February 2024, the Peel Police arrested five people, including two women, of Indian origin in connection with extortion threats targeting business owners of the South Asian community in the Greater Toronto area.

Around the same time, a 33-year-old man of Indian origin was arrested in the nearby city of Hamilton, for allegedly making extortion calls and threats to Brampton business owners, families, and staff.