Calgary Police don dey investigate serious extortion matter wey dey target South Asian communities for di city. Di matter don become top priority for di force as gunmen dey shoot houses, cars, and businesses to intimidate victims and collect money.
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Supt. Jeff Bell talk say dem don count 41 extortion attempts since January 2025. Eighteen of those attempts involve shootings, but police thank God say nobody don get injury yet. Bell yarn say, “Bullets dey fly for streets and we must prevent dat violence.”
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Dis month, Calgary Police Service announce dia first two arrests for di investigation. On April 1, dem charge 45-year-old Rana Cheema. Two days later, on April 3, dem charge 21-year-old Jaskaran Singh. Police sabi say odder suspects still dey at large.
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One big wahala na how to catch dese criminals wey dey use encrypted messaging services. Bell explain say messages fit disappear quick-quick, and police need court approval before dem fit ask telecom companies for information. “E no be like wetin we dey see for TV,” Bell talk. “Na complicated process wey dey take time.”
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Jaskaran Sandhu from di World Sikh Organization talk say catching di responsible people fit be like “whack-a-mole” game. Police dey try find out who exactly dey pull di strings. Some offenders don claim say dem get ties to di Lawrence Bishnoi Gang, wey Canada don designate as “terrorist entity.”
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Bell talk say police never make any definitive connection between di crimes for Calgary and di notorious gang wey dey operate from India. But di province talk say dem dey track links between dese local incidents and transnational crime groups, including di Bishnoi Gang.
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Police also dey worry about copycats wey fit see opportunity to make quick money by targeting scared and vulnerable community. Dat na part of why police dey hold some details back—to separate imitators from organized groups.
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Getting victims to come forward na anoda challenge. Some dey fear retaliation, while odders dey worry about reporting to authorities if dia immigration status no clear. Sandhu talk say, “Dey get frustration from community members wey dey feel say even if we talk, nothing dey happen.”
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Galib Bhayani, former RCMP superintendent for B.C. wey now be professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University for Surrey, talk say, “Extortion dey thrive for fear and silence, we know dat.”
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Police generally refer to di crimes as affecting South Asians, but Sandhu talk say na mainly Sikhs dey experience di brunt of am. “Na by design to destabilize di Sikh community, to create discord within and outside di community, and to polarize communities against each odder,” he yarn.
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Sikh students for University of Calgary don hear about dia families wey dem target. Simran Kaur from di Sikh Students’ Association talk say dis dey put huge stress on students wey fit affect dia studies. Manveer Singh Lalri, also from di association, talk say e dey pressure students to change dia social schedules to avoid being out alone late at night.
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Lalri worry say e fit affect ambitions for di community more broadly. He talk say, “People dey refrain from trying to grow dia business too much, because of fear say if you get too big, if you get too well-known, den dis extortion threat na predetermined thing wey go come towards you.”
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Bhayani talk say criminals get networks for many major Canadian cities wey dem fit bounce between. “Dem no even know who dem dey target. So dem dey give dem names, dem dey give dem list of dese houses we need you to go to,” he explain.
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For some cases, perpetrators fit don come to Canada on temporary visas. For odder cases, recruitment dey happen on ground, enticing or coercing people wey dey financial need. Edmonton police recently talk say networks dey target newly-arrived South Asian workers and students.
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Singh, one of di two men wey CPS arrest, bin dey here from India on student visa, according to police. Sandhu talk say e don hear say na often young people dem dey hire, and for relatively small sums—maybe couple thousand dollars for one hit.
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Bell talk say police no fully versed on how di recruitment dey happen, but e fit target people for vulnerable situations. For case of students, dem fit be more naïve about wetin dey fully happen. “Often people come to Canada and dem no get di friendship, di networking system wey dem want. And so dat in itself make people vulnerable,” Bell yarn.
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Calgary police get two ongoing operations: Orion, wey cover di investigations, and Outage, wey focus on community outreach with increased police presence for communities at risk.
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Arthur Green, press secretary to Alberta‘s public safety minister, urge victims not to pay di criminals, but instead come forward to police. Green talk say di provincial government dey work closely with local law enforcement, and dem dey in direct contact with Ottawa on di matter.
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Di federal government don announce measures to use di Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) to help police track and combat extortion.
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Bell talk say after police announce di first arrest, dia phones light up with tips. Ultimately, dat na wetin dem need. “We no know wetin we no know. And so if people no bring dat information to us, if dem no report dis to us, e make am very hard and very challenging to investigate and to solve di issue,” he conclude.
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