Toronto: A specialised Canadian police job power has arrested 5 folks, together with two ladies, of Indian-origin for alleged extortion and firearm-related offences concentrating on the South Asian enterprise neighborhood in the Greater Toronto space.

The Peel Regional Police Extortion Investigative Task Force (EITF), with the assist of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), executed a search warrant ensuing in the arrest of 5 people, Gagan Ajit Singh, 23, Anmoldeep Singh, 23, Hashmeet Kaur, 25, Iyamjot Kaur, 21, and Arundeep Thind, 39, in response to a Peel Regional Police press launch on Wednesday.

While Gagan Ajit Singh, Hashmeet Kaur and Iyamjot Kaur belong to the Brampton space, Anmoldeep Singh belongs to Mississauga. They have been charged with extortion, unauthorised possession of a firearm, unauthorised possession of prohibited or restricted weapon, and fraud, amongst different offences. The fifth suspect, Arundeep Thind, has no mounted tackle and has been charged with extortion.

The Peel Regional Police launched the EITF in December final 12 months in response to a wave of South Asian enterprise house owners reporting threats of violence towards them and their households in the event that they didn’t pay cash, in response to a CBC News report.

Superintendent Shelley Thompson, who heads the unit, at a information convention on Wednesday, stated a complete of 24 fees have been laid in relation to the 29 extortion makes an attempt below investigation. Thompson stated in 9 of these situations, weapons had been fired at unoccupied companies, in response to the Toronto Star newspaper. However, no accidents had been reported in reference to the shootings.

She additional stated the focused companies differ however embrace eating places and bakeries, trucking and transport corporations and unbiased used automotive dealerships, all with South Asian house owners. Explaining the modus operandi, Thompson stated the house owners had been contacted both by cellphone, social media apps or video calling providers like WhatsApp.

The monetary calls for various from sufferer to sufferer, Thompson stated, however the perpetrators would all the time ask for both money or cash transfers of Canadian {dollars} or Indian rupees.

Similar extortion makes an attempt are below investigation by regulation enforcement in Edmonton, the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and several other jurisdictions within the US, she stated.

She stated the Peel job power is in contact with police providers in all of these places, in addition to with the police businesses in India.

“There is currently no information to suggest that the extortion attempts in Peel are connected to wider Indian organised crime,” Thompson stated, including that such a risk is being actively investigated.

“One of the reasons we are doing this (news conference) is to put it out there to the community that we are looking for information,” she stated. The investigators consider there are seemingly extra victims.