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Seventeen men arrested in connection with organized extortion attacks against South Asian community across Canada
Police have arrested seventeen men in connection with a slew of violent extortion attacks against the South Asian community in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, with ties to the international criminal gang known as Four Brothers.
Police have arrested seventeen men in connection with a series of violent extortion attacks targeting the South Asian community across Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Investigators believe the suspects have ties to a larger international criminal network known as Four Brothers.
The suspects face more than one hundred charges including extortion, firearms offences, arson and other violent crimes. At least six of the men could also face immigration action. Video evidence shows armed confrontations, with one person filming while another opens fire in the Peel region west of Toronto.
Victims were threatened, businesses were shot at, homes were set ablaze and families were intimidated in what police described as organized violence rather than isolated incidents. The surge in extortions targeting the South Asian community in Canada dates back to 2023.
Among the many incidents documented, homes under construction in Edmonton were torched, car dealerships were targeted in the Peel region, and a home in Surrey was shot at on Monday for the second time this year. Community organizers say dozens of people they know have been extorted and victims are afraid to speak out.
Police urged anyone being threatened, targeted or asked for money to report it immediately. The investigation continues with more arrests expected as authorities work to dismantle the broader criminal network behind the extortion campaign.