Extortion calls in Bishnoi's name leave Punjabis in Canada jittery

Extortion calls in the name of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, particularly to Punjabis in Surrey city of British Columbia province, are giving sleepless nights to the hapless overseas population.

Mayor Brenda Locke on September 15 announced $ 250,000 fund for tips on information in extortion cases. The Surrey Police also said that it was investigating 44 extortion cases out of which 37 cases involved firing shotguns.

While the authorities will like to use the word “South Asians” for the affected, an interaction with a cross-section of leading social as well as media circles by this Tribune correspondent last week revealed that the Punjabis were “definitely” the most affected.

The current population figures showed that the city of Surrey had more than 2.25 lakh residents of the Punjabi origin, out of the total approximately seven lakh.

A leading talk show host, Harjinder Thind, said, “Extortion cases here, largely, affected the Punjabis. A section of Canadians will like to portray the problem related to South Asian population only. However, it has, in the overall perspective, assumed alarming proportions. Punjabis are seeking stricter government measures to GET personal and professional security.”

A businessman, requesting anonymity, said, “In one example, a fellow Punjabi purchased expensive Bentley (costing Rs 5-8 crore), recently. Two days later, he got a ransom call. Now, the car is parked inside his garage. Besides threatening calls, there have been questionable killings on the streets as well, believed to be connected to extortion. We are even aware about cases where people have left the area and shifted elsewhere.”

During recent times, an outlet of famous comedian Kapil Sharma, in Surrey, was fired at twice. One of the claims was made in the name of Bishnoi. Leading singers, including Karan Aujla and Gippy Grewal, in the past have openly mentioned extortion calls they got in the name of gangsters.

In a related development, Abbotsford in Fraser Valley of BC, yesterday constituted a special task force to crack the racket of threatening calls “targeting the South Asian community”.

Several such cases reported over years: Cops

Extortions predominantly targeting South Asian businesses are not a Surrey-specific issue and have been happening in a number of cities across Canada for several years. Surrey Police Service (SPS) is working with our law-enforcement partners and government on the larger multi-jurisdictional extortion issue.

The shootings are intended to intimidate and frighten extortion victims into paying. While we can’t release details on these active investigations, they are our priority. The police are aware that there are claims online and elsewhere about specific gangs or organised crime’s involvement, but we will let the evidence lead us to that point.