British ColumbiaThe charges come as the Surrey Police Service investigates dozens of extortion threats in the city, which it says have largely been targeting the South Asian community.Province, local police forces continue to investigate extortion attempts targeting South Asian communityCBC News · Posted: Oct 06, 2025 2:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoSurrey Police Service Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton told reporters Monday that three men have been charged in what is believed to be an extortion-related shooting from March. (Martin Diotte/CBC)Five men have been charged in relation to extortion in Surrey, B.C., in two separate cases, police say. According to the B.C. RCMP, two men have been charged with arson and discharge of a firearm with intent, following an August 2024 shooting at the home of a person who had received extortion threats. Police say Abkeet Kingram 26, and Vikram Sharma, 24, have been charged. Kingra is in police custody for an unrelated matter, while a warrant has been issued for Sharma’s arrest. Meanwhile, three men have been charged several months after a shooting that police believe is tied to extortion. The Surrey Police Service (SPS) said the shooting happened at about 1:55 a.m. PT on March 27, when a home in the 13300 block of 89A Avenue was struck by gunshots. No one was injured in the incident, police said.Investigators have since determined the shooting was related to an ongoing extortion case in the area. Mandeep Gidda, 23, Nirmaandeep Cheema, 20, and Arundeep Singh, 26, have been arrested and charged with one count each of reckless discharge of a firearm. During a media scrum on Monday, SPS Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton confirmed none of the accused have criminal records.WATCH | B.C. task force to tackle extortion targetting South Asian community:B.C. launches task force to tackle rise in extortion, shootings in South Asian communityPolice in B.C. are assembling a team to crack down on extortion threats targeting people in the South Asian Community. In Surrey alone, police are investigating dozens of complaints. As Meera Bains reports, officers are looking across the country and overseas.Gidda and Cheema are scheduled to appear in court on Monday afternoon, while Singh is scheduled to appear Wednesday.”These three arrests and charges are a positive step forward as Surrey Police Service continues to aggressively tackle the issue of extortions,” Chief Const. Norm Lipinski said in a news release. “Enforcement and all investigative tactics will continue to ramp up as we work together to bring these criminals to justice.”Houghton said there was a shooting outside the same residence on Feb. 18, 2024, but investigators did not identify any suspects in that case. He said the two shootings do not appear to be connected.Houghton said there have been 56 reported extortion-related cases and 31 connected shootings in Surrey this year. Monday morning shooting The charges come as SPS officers look into a shooting in the early hours of Monday morning that left a South Surrey business damaged.Police say they were called to the 2100 block of King George Boulevard at about 2:20 a.m. PT where there had been reports of shots fired. No one was injured, police say, but they discovered damage to the building caused by gunshots. Police are pictured gathering evidence after a shooting at Ustaad G 76 South Surrey restaurant on Monday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Houghton said the shooting may be related to extortion. As of Monday afternoon, a suspect has been taken into custody, according to police.Earlier this year, the province launched a public awareness campaign encouraging people to report extortion attempts.In September, the province launched an RCMP-led task force to tackle extortion and shootings targeting B.C.’s South Asian community. The RCMP has linked the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang to extortion threats in Canada’s South Asian community, and last week, the federal government declared the gang a terrorist organization.Houghton said it is not clear yet whether the three men charged in the March shooting are connected to the Bishnoi gang. With files from Karin Larsen and Sohrab Sandhu
5 charged in 2 separate extortion-related cases in Surrey, B.C.
