Canada police investigating India link in extortion
Ottawa: Police in Canada are investigating a series of extortions and related crimes that they believe are orchestrated by a suspect in India and involve criminals in Edmonton, Alberta, targeting the region’s affluent South Asian people.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Edmonton Police said that in a new trend in Canada, victims typically receive a WhatsApp message along with a request for compensation for the victims’ safety.
Although similar incidents have been reported in British Columbia and Ontario, however, the police said that there was no evidence to suggest those incidents are related to the ones in the Edmonton area.
As per the Edmonton Police, so far they have reports of 27 incidents between October and January, including extortions, arson, and drive-by shootings, and asked others who may have been targeted to come forward.
Edmonton police inspector Lance Parker told reporters that at this time, we believe the series has been committed by a group of local individuals being directed by a suspect in India. Police have arrested six young males in connection with the arson and firearms offenses, Parker said.
No injuries have been reported from the shootings, though a firefighter was injured in one of the arsons, at least C$9 million ($6.7 million) in property damage had been recorded.
Police declined to comment further on the Indian connection and said Canada’s federal police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, were handling the cross-border aspect of the investigation.
It is to be mentioned here that diplomatic relations between India and Canada severed after the Canadian Prime Minister revealed the involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia last year.
