Extortions targeting Indians: Canada launches multi-million dollar fight at Surrey summit

Eby, described the extortions as an “unprecedented threat” often orchestrated by international gangs using social media to demand ransoms exceeding $50,000 from South Asian-owned businesses in construction, real estate, and hospitality.

The summit zeroed in on the B.C. Extortion Task Force, established in September as a joint operation involving the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and local forces like the Surrey Police Service. Officials announced $4 million to expand police capacity, including surge resources for smaller-scale cases, as detailed in a Global News report. An additional $200,000 from the federal Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund will support investigations outside the task force’s core mandate.

Victim support emerged as a priority, with $500,000 over two years from Justice Canada’s Victims Fund earmarked for four new outreach workers and culturally tailored resources, such as translated safety guides in Punjabi and Hindi. This funding, to be matched by the province and focused on Surrey and Abbotsford, aims to combat underreporting driven by cultural stigma, per insights from the Surrey Now-Leader.

A standout initiative is the $1.5 million Youth Engagement Hub in Surrey, run by the non-profit Yo Bro Yo Girl Youth Initiative. The program will mentor up to 1,000 at-risk youth through job training and counseling to steer them away from gang recruitment, said co-founder Joe Calendino in comments to CTV News. Calendino hailed the investment as a “game-changer for early intervention.”
Border security took centre stage, with CBSA revealing investigations into over 250 individuals, reviews of 95 foreign nationals, and five deportations tied to extortion rings, many with alleged links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, as reported by The Vancouver Sun. Anandasangaree noted ongoing diplomatic talks with New Delhi but cited privacy laws barring public disclosure of deportee names.

The crisis has escalated dramatically since 2023, with more than 40 shootings in Surrey alone this year and 75 unique victims identified, according to RCMP data cited by CBC. High-profile incidents, including the October shooting at comedian Kapil Sharma’s Surrey café and threats against legal professionals, have heightened community anxiety. Surrey’s $250,000 reward for conviction-leading tips, announced earlier, was reaffirmed as a key tool.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a statement relayed via the Prime Minister’s Office and quoted in The Globe and Mail, praised the collaboration as essential to “safeguard our diverse communities.” MPs Sukh Dhaliwal and Taleeb Noormohamed, both in attendance, echoed the sentiment on social media, with Noormohamed posting: “Extortion has no place in Canada—we’re dismantling these networks together.”

While advocates welcomed the pledges, some called for swifter bail reforms to curb repeat offenders. The task force will issue quarterly progress reports, with no further summits immediately planned. For South Asians in the diaspora, the message was clear: relief is coming, but vigilance remains essential.