British ColumbiaAn Abbotsford, B.C., man remembers feeling shocked and confused after walking up to his business early one morning and seeing the glass entrance riddled with bullet holes. Later that day, he says he received a chilling phone call from a man demanding $1 million. Abbotsford has seen 50 cases of extortion since 2023, police sayKier Junos · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An Abbotsford, B.C., extortion victim says his business was shot at before he got a call demanding $1 million. Police say it’s a tactic different from what they have seen with most other extortion cases. (Kier Junos/CBC )An Abbotsford, B.C., man remembers feeling shocked and confused after walking up to his business early one morning and seeing the glass entrance riddled with bullet holes.He says he received a chilling phone call later that day from a man demanding $1 million. “He said, ‘I want to set an example. I have 20 people in the line. I don’t care if it’s you or somebody else. I shoot one guy and I’ll get my money,’” recalled the victim with his hands folded on a table inside his business. CBC News has agreed not to identify the victim due to his safety concerns. Police have confirmed the business was targeted in an extortion incident. It was among at least 50 extortion-related incidents in Abbotsford, of which 11 were shootings, since November 2023, according to Abbotsford police. However, police say there is something different about this case — the gunshots came without any warning. “People come out with a threat of violence and then follow up with the level of violence. In this case it was in reverse,” explained Sgt. Paul Walker, media relations officer with the Abbotsford Police Department. “Having the shooting precede also is lower risk for those who are involved because it happens completely unexpectedly … before the authorities could be alerted,” explains Wade Deisman, a criminologist at the University of the Fraser Valley. The business owner says he has called Canada home for nearly two decades. But after years of building up his livelihood, he now fears for his life amid what he believes are shifting extortion tactics. Abbotsford police say in recent months, extortion threats have appeared to be getting worse, with violence escalating to include more shootings and arson. This shows a shift since 2023 when the majority of extortion cases involved non-violent methods, including threatening letters, phone calls or text messages demanding money from victims, according to Abbotsford police. WATCH | Pattern of targeted extortions in B.C.’s Lower Mainland comes to light:Pattern of extortions targeted at B.C.’s South Asian community comes to lightExtortion cases are mounting in B.C. Police say there’s been an explosion of incidents since the summer. Residents and business owners in places that have been particularly affected — like Surrey and Abbotsford — say they want to see more arrests. CBC’s Sohrab Sandhu has been covering the cases extensively over the past two years and explains how we got here.Phone calls to gunshots With a resigned expression on his face, the business owner says he had never received any threats or extortion calls leading up to the incident. But just hours after the shooting, the victim said he first received a text message, a video of the shots being fired at the business and then a phone call demanding the money. Two days later, the business owner said, the man called back, tried to negotiate a lower sum but the victim said he refused to pay and he hasn’t heard from the caller since. CBC News did not corroborate the initial call or texts but did watch a video that recorded a heated followup phone call between the business owner and a man threatening him.Since the shooting, the front windows of the business have been boarded up, operational hours have been reduced by half, and the owner continues to live with uncertainty. “I work 18 hours a day and there’s no way I can give a single penny to them. No way,” he said.“How much do you think I can hide for? Two weeks? Three weeks? I’m scared for me, my family, my friends and my workers who work here.”Beyond extortionDeisman says the method also suggests a broader fear tactic. He said a normal approach to extortion is to begin by sending a message and then using violence only if necessary.The tactic of shooting first and asking for money later, he said, points to a larger pattern that goes beyond extortion for cash to “creating a kind of atmosphere of fear and coercive control.” University of the Fraser Valley criminologist Wade Deisman says the method of shooting without warning could suggest the intent to create an atmosphere of fear and coercive control in communities. (Ben Nelms/CBC)He added the attacker’s demand for $1 million is extraordinarily large, a sum of money difficult to move without being noticed.“When they ask for exceedingly large amounts of money, they already know that that’s not something that’s going to happen,” Deisman said.He said the prevailing narrative of extortion-driven violence “is becoming exhausted and falsified” and believes the violence is a transnational issue.Deisman also referred to the rift between Canada and India since the RCMP said last year there is strong evidence showing the “highest levels” of the Indian government were involved in orchestrating a campaign of violence and intimidation on Canadian soil — allegations the Indian government has repeatedly denied.Calls for more protection As public safety concerns grow in the region, the victim says he’s even considering selling his business and leaving for India, hoping for more protection from law enforcement. He also wants to see stronger immigration policies to prevent criminals from entering Canada. “My family is my priority,” he said. “Everyone who’s in business. They have to be careful.”In early November, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced its work within the B.C. Extortion Task Force — including in the execution of search warrants — had led to the removal of three individuals from Canada and had sparked immigration investigations into 78 foreign nationals “who may be inadmissible to the country.”The CBSA has declined to say why the three individuals were removed, where they were removed from or moved to, and has also refused to name them.Abbotsford police say no suspects have been arrested so far regarding this incident and investigators are looking into similarities with other cases across the Lower Mainland.ABOUT THE AUTHORKier is an award-winning journalist reporting from CBC’s Fraser Valley bureau in Abbotsford.
Abbotsford extortion victim says he was shocked by $1M demand after business shooting
