Less than two weeks after some unknown gunmen fired at the house of Punjabi singer and actor Gippy Grewal in Vancouver, South Asian business community in Surrey and Abbotsford expressed concern over the growing trend of extortion calls in a meeting with B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad earlier this week.
The discussion, which was attended by B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad and 50 business owners, most of them are of Indian origin, underlined the urgent need for increased police vigil to prevent potential violence.
The businessmen, some of them were jewelers, said such calls have increased within the last three months. A community member said that, some affected businessmen have temporarily left the country.
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has said that, the shooting incident outside Punjabi singer Gippy Grewal’s residence in Canada might be connected to an extortion attempt. The incident, which happened in the White Rock neighborhood of Vancouver on the 25th of November was originally claimed by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Under the name Lawrence Bishnoi an online account on Facebook declared the gang’s involvement in the orchestrated attack. It said, “While you may respect Salman Khan as a brother, it is now imperative for your brother’ to come forward and rescue you.This message extends to Salman Khan as well – do not harbour the illusion which Dawood or anyone can save you from us.” Later, Gippy denied any connotation with Salman Khan, saying that they were present only at a function.
Maninder Gill, a Surrey-based broadcaster said, It’s a difficult situation which must be handled on priority by both, the Indian government and the Canadian.
He added that, criminal groups are taking advantage of strained relations between India and Canada. There’s been a surge in shootings tied to gang rivalries and extortion attempts targeting rich members of the South Asian community in Canada. Gangs from India are allegedly involved in these activities. In the meantime, India has been constantly expressing concern about violent extremism originating from Canada. In this backdrop, it’s crucial for security agencies from India and Canada to increase their cooperation to ensure the safety of citizens in both the nations.
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Law enforcement agencies in both Surrey and Abbotsford have refrained from directly involving the series of unsolved shootings outside homes to the extortion mafia targeting South Asian businesses.
In late November, Surrey RCMP and Abbotsford Police issued warnings separately to businesses regarding attempted extortions aimed at business owners.
Surrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai said such extortion attempts were very disturbing and the affected individuals must report these incidents to the police.
In response to these developments, B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth issued a statement advising victims to step forward and highlighted ongoing provincial initiatives targeting organized crime. He condemned violence and intimidation, declaring that such acts have no place in British Columbia.
In its chargesheet filed in July, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had said that Arshdeep Singh, aka Arsh Dalla, who came from Punjab to Canada in 2018, had set up a terrorist gang which indulged in extortion among other criminal activities.
Police sources suggest a rising conflict between Canada-based designated terrorist Arsh Dalla and Lawrence Bishnoi. Both gangs are involved in extortion activities, but both are within India and abroad.
