South Asian business owners speak out following extortion threats

Surrey business owner Parminder Sanghera says he has been living in fear after receiving a series of threatening phone calls demanding cash.

On July 8, Sanghera, who owns a trucking company, said he answered a call asking him to payhundreds of thousands of dollars or face the consequences.

"If you don't pay us, we're gonna burn your Range Rover and then [the extortionist] said [they]werecoming in 20 minutes,'" he told CBC News.

Sanghera immediately informed the police, who arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.He says he answered several more calls from the extortionist that day, including a video call during which the caller warned that authorities would be powerless to protect him.

"We are staying mostly at home, and we have to wake up in the middle of the night and look around at everything," Sanghera said.

Several business owners who say they have received similar threatsaired their grievances at a specialmeeting last week organized by the Canadian Trucking Association of B.C. (CTA-BC), which says a growing number of South Asian business owners throughout the industry are facing extortion threats.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, along with local members of Parliament (MPs), members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and police officers, werein attendance.

WATCH |How criminals prey on South Asian business owners:

Extortion ring targets South Asian businesses across Canada, police say

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Duration 2:06

There 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.

The association's president, Amit Bhardwaj, says more needs to be done to better protect business owners in B.C.

"If we don't deal with things out in the open, then they get shoved under the rug, and they become non-issues," he said.

Last December, a similar meeting addressed a series of shootings tied to extortion attempts, which targetedhomes and businesses in Metro Vancouver.

Extortion threats have been reported in several B.C. cities, including West Vancouver, White Rock, Surrey and Abbotsford, through physical letters, phone calls, and social media apps.

Jas Arora, who owns Highway King Transport Limited in Abbotsford, says he has been receiving extortion calls for more than a year.

"[It has] been actually getting worse and worse," Arora told CBC News."Now they're talking [to]people [who] are working for me, and it'sthreatening them."

Despite multiple reports to the police, the intimidation persists, even disrupting personal moments such as his mother's funeral.

"I was very emotional with my mom passingaway, and they [kept calling] the same day."

What concerns Arora even more is that the calls aren't just empty threats.

Surrey RCMPsaid it made two arrests in late December 2023 following a shooting in White Rock in connection to extortion threats.

But the problem extends further to South Asian business ownersin other provinceswhohave been targeted with gunfire after refusingtopay up.

InOntario, police arrested a 23-year-old man from Abbotsford, B.C., on Dec. 8, 2023, in connection to extortion threats that they say have "caused grave safety and security concerns among our community members."

Edmonton police saidinJanuary that theymade six arrests tiedtoextortionthreats, shootings and arsons.

"It's really unfortunate, and I'm really scared for my kids and my family," Arorasaid, adding thathis trust in thelocal policeis wavering.

TheRCMPsays it has established anationalteamtohelpco-ordinate investigations and information sharing about extortion schemestargeting South Asian businessesinB.C., Alberta and Ontario.

Mounties say theteamis a "nationwide alliance"of police agencies that are all investigatingextortionand violent threats, which have been tiedtoshootings and arson.

In a statement to CBC,Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said he recognizes the significant concern within the South Asian community regarding the ongoing extortion attempts.

"I agree that it is imperative that community members, elected officials, and law enforcement work together to collectively address this important public safety issue," he said.

WATCH | Extortion ring targets South Asian businesses across Canada, police say:

How criminals prey on South Asian business owners

6 months ago

Duration 4:50

A wave of violent extortion attempts against South Asian-owned businesses across Canada have police searching for the source. CBCs Jamie Strashin breaks down the damage done and the links to international organized crime.

According to the minister, the province has allocated more than $100 million annually intospecialized enforcement and intelligence programs targeting guns, gangs and illicit drug activities to ensure British Columbians are safe from organized crime.

"We are also building on B.C.'s gun and gang strategy through the development of a new provincially funded Integrated Gang Homicide Team (IGHT) that is dedicated to investigating project-based gang-related homicide incidents and increasing gang-related intelligence co-ordination in the Lower Mainland."