TORONTO: The Canada police has arrested five Punjab origin accused, two of them Punjabi girls in several cases of attempted extortion, shooting the local businessmen to create terror.
The Police in Peel Region arested the accused after investigating 29 separate cases of attempted extortion targeting South Asian business owners in a rash of crime Brampton’s mayor Patrick Brown said, they were “terrorizing” the community.
The newly-minted Extortion Investigative Task Force (EITF) at a news conference on Wednesday identified five suspects who have been arrested in connection with three alleged incidents across the Greater Toronto Area since December 2023.
Task force lead Supt. Shelley Thompson said of the 29 cases under investigation, nine incidents have involved shootings at local businesses, with multiple bullets being fired.
Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the five arrests represent a “big win” for public safety in the region.
Four of the suspects, identified by police as Gagan Ajit Singh, 23, Anmoldeep Singh, 23, Hashmeet Kaur, 25, and Lymanjot Kaur, 21, all of Brampton and Mississauga, are facing a laundry list of charges in connection with two recent alleged extortion incidents, police said.
According to Duraiappah, a search warrant executed at a Brampton residence on Jan. 24 linked to those suspects resulted in the seizure of a firearm, ammunition, an undisclosed amount of cash, numerous computers and approximately 50 cell phones.
The fifth suspect, identified by police as Arundeep Thind, 39, of no fixed address, is charged separately in connection with an alleged extortion incident on Jan. 26.
Total 24 charges are filed against the five accused, all students from Punjab in India.
According to Thompson, there are similarities in all 29 of the incidents under investigation. She said the businesses being targeted are South Asian-owned, and include restaurants, bakeries, trucking and transport companies, independent used car dealerships and jewelry stores, reports CP24 TV channel.
The suspects typically contact the victims by phone, or social media, and demand a cash payment or money transfer, either in Canadian currency or Indian rupees, under threat of violence, she said.
Thed Canada police said they were in touch wth Punjab Police in India to know the background of suspects. It was alarming situation as cases of extortion threats were being reported from many states including British Columbia.