It starts with a letter, phone call, or a text message — an anonymous figure demands cash, usually from a business owner, threatening their safety and livelihood unless they pay.It often ends with gunshots fired at homes and storefronts. And in some communities, such as Surrey and Abbotsford, the bullet holes and shattered glass are mounting. Extortion crimes in B.C. have become all too familiar, and frequently have ties to similar incidents elsewhere in Canada. Federal and municipal police believe the crime wave has links to Indian agents, whose playbook has also inspired a slew of copycats and local criminals.This timeline explores much of what we know about the extortion wave in B.C. and the rest of Canada — from when the trend first emerged, to some of the most recent arrests.CBC BC is organizing an upcoming town hall event, Extortion: Communities in Fear, where community members can share their concerns on the topic.The event will be held Thursday, Nov. 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT at Surrey Art Centre at 13750 88 Ave.Guests will include police, politicians and community leaders — and members of the public are invited. October 2023: Edmonton show homes torchedIn October, 2023, Edmonton police begin to notice a series of violent extortions, arsons and drive-by shootings. Several developers see their properties burned in the wake of messages telling them to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars.Police say members of the city’s South Asian business community are being singled out by extortionists using WhatsApp to demand large amounts of money from home builders and construction businesses.WATCH | South Asian businesses targeted in extortion ring:Extortion ring targets South Asian businesses across Canada, police sayThere are growing concerns about reports of South Asian businesses being targeted with violence and extortion across the country. Police and political officials in Ontario, Alberta and B.C., say they’re investigating similar acts, while Edmonton police say incidents in their city have been orchestrated by a criminal network in India.November 2023: first reports in B.C.On Nov. 4, a man and his 11-year-old son are gunned down in Edmonton. Subsequent investigations and court documents reveal the victim, Harry Uppal, was part of the extortion plot and a member of Brothers Keepers — a notorious B.C.-based gang, that provincial RCMP have described as “prominent and violent.”Meanwhile, in B.C. on Nov. 23, 2023, Surrey RCMP report gunshots were fired at a shop at Surrey’s Payal Business Centre overnight. Nobody was inside and there were no injuries.Later that day, police issue a public warning over extortion attempts, saying it learned that multiple businesses had been targeted but the owners were reluctant to come forward.The Payal Business Centre in Surrey on Nov. 6. (Ben Nelms/CBC)December 2023: more gunshots, arrests in OntarioOn Dec. 4, 2023, gunshots are fired at a White Rock, B.C., home.Three weeks later, Surrey RCMP arrest two men in connection with the shooting, and say it’s part of an “an ongoing extortion investigation.”On Dec. 29, 2023, Satish Kumar, the president of Lakshmi Narayan Mandir temple in Surrey, reveals his son’s home was targeted in a shooting. No one was injured.Meanwhile, in the Greater Toronto Area, police notice a rash of extortion-related incidents, including mischief to property, threats, and firearms-related offences targeting South Asian businesses. Police in Ontario arrest an Abbotsford, B.C., man, Tanmanjot Gil, for allegedly firing rounds at a business. Peel Regional Police then launch their Extortion Investigative Task Force.Hundreds of people attended a community event in January 2024, at a B.C. temple, where they raised concerns about extortion. (Sohrab Sandhu/CBC)January 2024: B.C. temple hosts townhallOn Jan. 4, 2024, Kumar leads a community event at the temple to draw attention to the mounting extortions. Organizers say more and more South Asian businesses are being targeted.The event is attended by hundreds of people, including politicians, polices officers, residents and business owners. B.C. Attorney General Nikki Sharma urges victims not to pay extortionists and to work with local law enforcement. Organizers call for increased patrols.Meanwhile, in Edmonton, police announce six young men are arrested, but extortion incidents continue. Police suggest the scheme is being orchestrated from India.WATCH | Truck drivers ask for help at community forum:Forum held over extortion concerns in Metro VancouverTwo owners of transport companies in B.C. are speaking out about rising safety concerns after they say they were targeted for extortion. On Saturday, a public forum was held in Surrey to highlight the alarming situation, which has had some in the community on edge for more than a year. As Sohrab Sandhu reports, the trucking industry says laws need to be changed to provide better protection against extortion.July 2024: trucking industry calls for helpOn July 22, 2024, the Canadian Trucking Association of B.C. organizes a special meeting, saying its industry is facing extortion threats in Surrey.The meeting is attended by Parminder Sanghera, a Surrey truck company owner, who tells CBC News that just weeks earlier, on July 8, he received a phone call from an extortionist who threatened to set fire to his Range Rover unless he paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars.Jas Arora, an Abbotsford truck company owner, also attending, tells CBC News he’s been receiving extortion threats for over a year.WATCH | Abbotsford home targeted in the middle of the night:Home surveillance footage provided by Abbotsford man alleging extortionSecurity video provided by alleged extortion victim Jas Arora shows a person throwing objects at his Abbotsford home.August 2024: more homeowners targetedArora reports he’s been targeted once again, alleging suspects tossed glass bottles and poured gasoline onto his Abbotsford property on Aug. 23. After calling police, he said he received a call from the alleged extortionist demanding cash.”He goes, ‘See what we did to you? Now you have three days … we will kill you,'” Arora said.WATCH | Shots fired at home of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon:Gunshots fired at musician AP Dhillon’s home in B.C.Police are investigating a brazen attack on the Vancouver Island home of popular Punjabi singer and rapper AP Dhillon. They’ve confirmed they’re looking into a video circulating online of someone shooting at the home.September 2024: Punjabi singer’s home shot atOn Sept. 2, 2024, police in Victoria are called to the home of the Punjabi singer AP Dhillon. When they arrive, they find two vehicles engulfed in flames and evidence of multiple gunshots.Video of the alleged incident is later posted online by media outlets in India. The reports say Rohit Godara, a member of the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the shooting on social media.The Bishnoi Gang is one of a number of criminal enterprises from Punjab and Haryana in northern India that have spread into North America in recent years, according to federal police.Mike Duheme, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). (Christian Patry/Radio-Canada)October 2024: RCMP links ‘campaign of violence’ to IndiaOn Oct. 21, federal RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme says the Mounties have strong evidence showing the “highest levels” of the Indian government were involved in orchestrating a campaign of violence on Canadian soil, including murder, extortion and intimidation. Police also claim there is evidence connecting the Bishnoi gang to Indian government agents.The commissioner says attempts to share evidence with Indian police have been unsuccessful.Then, on Oct. 30, 25-year-old Abjeet Kingra of Winnipeg is arrested in Ontario, in connection with the shooting at AP Dhillon’s home. He’s charged with discharge of a firearm with intent and arson.A warrant is issued for 23-year-old Virkam Sharma, who police believe left Canada for India.Police tape surrounds Kap’s Cafe in Surrey, B.C., after it was targeted by gunfire for the second time in less than a month. (Nav Rahi/CBC)June to August 2025: uptick in shootingsSatish Kumar’s home is shot at again on June 7, 2025. Days later, he holds another public meeting calling for action on extortion threats, where he claims his businesses had been shot at multiple times over three weeks.On June 18, owners at Nijjar Trucking Ltd. in Surrey report shots were fired at their business.Then, on July 10, Surrey’s Kap’s Cafe, owned by Bollywood actor and comedian Kapil Sharma, is shot at one week after it opens. On Aug. 7, it’s shot at once again. Police find what they believe to be a moltov cocktail at the scene.Police investigate Kap’s Cafe in Surrey, B.C., owned by Bollywood celebrity Kapil Sharma. Shots were fired at the cafe on Aug. 7. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)On Aug. 18, shots are fired at a Surrey car wash. The owner reports $20,000 worth of equipment was stolen.September 2025: B.C. announces task forceOn Sept. 15, the City of Surrey announces a $250,000 reward fund for information leading to extortion convictions.Ten days later, B.C.’s public safety minister Nina Krieger announces the formation of a provincial extortion task force led by the B.C. RCMP with 40 members, including officers from municipal forces in Surrey, Abbotsford and Delta.On Sept. 29, Ottawa officially lists the Bishnoi gang as an international terrorist organization — a move that gives the federal government the power to freeze or seize property, vehicles and money, along with giving Canadian law enforcement additional tools to prosecute terrorist offences.WATCH | How police are responding to extortions in Abbotsford:As reports of extortion rise in Abbotsford, B.C., here’s how police are responding Abbotsford police say extortion has become more frequent and severe in the city with recent cases involving shootings and arson. The department has now launched its own task force to tackle the issue. October 2025 to present: arrests and first person injuredOn Oct. 6, provincial and local police announce a slew of arrests and charges related to three separate extortion cases.Kingra and Sharma are once again charged, this time for allegedly shooting at a Surrey home in August, 2024.The Surrey Police Service also announces 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 related to an alleged extortion shooting in March.Police also announce Harmanjot Brar, 25, and Hardilpreet Singh, 23, are arrested in a third extortion case involving arson.On Oct. 7, a Surrey woman is shot and rushed to hospital in critical condition after her home is targeted. She’s believed to be the first person injured in a suspected extortion shooting.Days later, Kap’s Cafe is shot at for a third time, with videos of the gunfire shared online by perpetrators claiming to be members of the Bishnoi gang.On Oct. 30, two men are arrested in a suspected extortion-related shooting. They’re released within 24 hours, pending further investigation.One day later, Surrey’s mayor formally asks the province to deploy 150 additional police officers to her city to fight the extortion crime wave.On Nov. 7, as part of the extortion task force, Canadian Border and Services Agency (CBSA) provides an update, saying it has investigated 78 foreign nationals, and removed three from Canada.
B.C. extortion timeline: when it started and who might be behind it
