Five individuals were arrested in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for alleged extortion attempts related to Indo-Canadian businesses. However, police officials have yet to confirm any links related to India. Were still investigating to see if theres a connection to India, stated Superintendent Shelley Thompson, head of the Peel Regional Polices Extortion Investigative Task Force (EITF), at a press conference in Brampton on Wednesday. With the information we currently have, we havent found any.In response to widespread extortion attempts in Peel, #PRP assembled an Extortion Investigative Task Force (EITF) last month. Our task force acted swiftly & efficiently, with 5 arrested & over 20 total charges laid. We encourage anyone with information to contact our task force. pic.twitter.com/uqug13Z1QH— Chief Nishan Duraiappah (@ChiefNish) February 7, 2024Extortion attempts on BusinessThese arrests come after a series of extortion attempts targeting businesses in the GTA, Edmonton, and British Columbias Lower Mainland since late 2023. An internal memo from the Abbotsford Police Department mentioned the possibility of India-based gangs, specifically the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.The #PRP Extortion Investigative Task Force – our response to violent extortion attempts in Peel. We are continuously collaborating with partners and community members and successfully arresting and charging to hold those accountable, responsible.#EITF https://t.co/sdy7zQPEfu pic.twitter.com/HdxC1YSz00— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) February 7, 2024The Peel Regional Police identified the arrested individuals as Gagan Ajit Singh (facing 10 charges), Anmoldeep Singh (5 charges), Hashmeet Kaur (4 charges), Iymanjot Kaur (4 charges), and Arundeep Thind (1 charge). The first four were apprehended on January 24th, while Thinds arrest followed a complaint from a 32-year-old victim who received threatening phone calls and WhatsApp messages demanding money.Our task force acted swiftly and efficiently, resulting in 5 arrests and over 20 charges laid, said Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah. We encourage anyone with information to contact us.Duraiappah stressed the seriousness of these incidents, acknowledging the fear they instilled within the local business community. We understand the impact on victims and their families, and how deeply these incidents affect our community, he said. We believe there may be more residents and businesses who were targeted but havent come forward.
