Edmonton police holds extortion scheme town hall for South Asian community

Edmonton police are hosting a town hall for the city's South Asian community about an ongoing extortion scheme.

The Edmonton Police Service says it's holding the 7 p.m. meeting Thursday at the Ridgewood Community League hall, located at 3705 Mill Woods Rd. East, to address concerns and share information.

Police have investigated at least 27 cases of extortion, arson, shootings and other gun-related offences since October.

Homebuilders have been receiving WhatsApp texts or calls demanding large sums of money.

If they don't pay, their new-build homes are being burned down. Follow-up demands for more money have led to drive-by shootings.

No one has been injured in the shootings, but one firefighter was hurt during one of the arsons.

Police estimate the property damage from the cases is worth $9 million.

Jasvir Deol, the MLA for the southeast city Edmonton-Meadows riding who plans to attend Thursday night's meeting, has sent a letter to the minister of public safety asking the province to provide necessary resources and support to police.

He tells CTV News Edmonton the town hall meeting will help strengthen trust with police.

"There's probably a lot of fear among them, like what would happen if they go to police and to what extent they could feel safe and what kind of threat they will face," Deol said.

"The police coming into the community and organizing this town hall is a very initial step ensuring that the police force has peoples' backs and people can come forward."

Recent extortion attempts in Canada go beyond Edmonton.

In the Peel region west of Toronto, police are investigating 29 separate cases of attempted extortion targeting South Asian business owners in a rash of crime Brampton’s mayor says is “terrorizing” the community.

Investigators there on Wednesday identified five suspects who have been arrested in connection with three alleged incidents across the Greater Toronto Area since December 2023. Police said of the 29 cases under investigation, nine incidents have involved shootings at local businesses, with multiple bullets being fired. No injuries have been reported.

Eerily similar, violent extortion attempts have also been reported in Surrey, B.C., prompting the mayors of both Surrey and Brampton to pen a joint letter calling on the federal minister of public safety to begin prioritizing a co-ordinated policing effort across the country to bring an end to this violent trend.

"The complexity and inter-jurisdictional nature of these crimes necessitate a more comprehensive strategy involving provincial and federal authorities," the joint letter reads.

A spokesperson from the minister of public safety's office told CTV News in a recent statement the extortion threats "are deeply concerning."

"The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are engaged with their local policing partners on this issue," the spokesperon said.

"If Canadians suspect they are the target of an extortion attempt, they should report it immediately to their local police force."

Anyone who has received a threat that may be related to the extortion scheme is asked to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

With files from CTV News's Nav Sangha, Phil Tsekouras and Adrian Ghobrial