In Canada, a woman is among six people from Punjab arrested in an extortion case linked to India

As part of Operation Gaslight, to combat extortion targeting Indo-Canadian businesses and individuals in Alberta’s capital, police announced that six individuals have been arrested and a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for the seventh individual.

In a press release Friday, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said its officers, along with colleagues from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), searched six locations in the city, resulting in the arrest of five men and one woman “believed to be involved in the extortion scheme targeting South Asian business owners in the Edmonton area.”

They have been identified as Jashandeep Kaur, 19, Gurkaran Singh, 19, Manav Heer, 19, Parminder Singh, 21, Divnoor Asht, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile male. They all face “an array of serious criminal charges,” the press release said.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 34, who is believed to be the leader of the criminal organisation responsible for the extortions.

The suspects face a total of 54 charges, including extortion, arson, discharging a firearm with intent, burglary, assault with a weapon, as well as a number of charges related to the commission of a crime for the benefit of, on the orders of, or in association with a criminal organization.

EPS is currently investigating 40 cases of extortion in the city, with charges filed in 26 cases.

“We believe the individuals identified today represent the core members of this criminal network. However, we also know that Dhaliwal is actively recruiting other young people,” warned David Paton, Acting Director of the EPS Organised Crime Branch.

“Investigators believe Dhaliwal orchestrated the extortions from overseas and EPS is working with our federal and international counterparts, including the (United States) Drug Enforcement Administration, to locate him,” Paton added during a news conference in Edmonton on Friday, according to the outlet Edmonton Journal. That overseas base is believed to be India.

Police said they are in touch with Indian authorities regarding the ongoing investigation.