Explainer: Surrey offers $250K reward for extortion information, B.C. announces task force

Editor’s note: The online version of this article has been updated to reflect a gang mentioned in the story has since been declared a terror group in Canada.

The City of Surrey and Surrey Police Service have launched a $250,000 reward for information leading to convictions in 44 extortion cases as of the announcement.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said the reward is one of the largest in Canadian policing history during a Sept. 15 press conference at city hall. 

Locke said residents and business owners are “deeply worried” by extortions in their community. 

“I have heard from families how frightening it is to hear gunfire right outside their home while their children are sleeping,” Locke said. “Many in our community right now are living in fear.”

The announcement also included a new extortion tipline, 236-485-5149, which is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with Punjabi-speaking officers available.

Of the 44 known extortion cases, 27 involve shootings. Many of the active extortion cases target South Asian residents and business owners.

On July 10, there was a shooting at Indian talk show host Kapil Sharma’s Kap’s Cafe in Surrey. Less than a month later, another shooting occurred at the business. While extortion has not been definitively linked to the shootings, investigators have not ruled it out either.

At a public safety forum in June, the event’s host and Surrey businessman Satish Kumar said he received threats demanding $2 million, and his businesses were shot at three separate times over a couple weeks. 

The city experienced a high of extortion-related cases in June, Surrey Police Service Chief Const. Norm Lipinski said.

“We have executed a number of search warrants and we have processed the related collection of evidence,” Lipinski said. “But we need the public’s help.”

Since the peak in the crimes three months ago, Lipinski said Surrey Police Service has a “dedicated extortion investigative team.”

The $250,000 fund can be split up as people may be coming forward with “different levels” of information. 

“This reward is intended to motivate individuals to provide specific evidence to police to further the investigation, leading to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals,” Lipinski said.

Surrey city council approved the $250,000 grant to the Surrey Police Service on Sept. 10. 

Police elsewhere have accused the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang of involvement in the crimes targeting South Asian communities across Canada.

On Sept. 29, the federal government listed the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, giving Canada the power to seize or freeze money, property, and other assets, as well as granting law enforcement more tools to prosecute terror offences.

Locke said the city needs help from higher levels of government for extortion crimes. 

“We all have heard very many times that this is a transnational situation that we’re dealing with in Surrey and right across this country,” Locke said. “I think that it’s really time that we looked at this in a much broader perspective, nationally and provincially.”

On Sept. 17, B.C. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Nina Krieger announced an extortion task force.

Led by the RCMP, the task force will include 40 Mounties, as well as officers from Surrey, Abbotsford, Delta, Transit Police, and the Canada Border Services Agency.

“This comprehensive approach will expand cross-jurisdictional reach, supporting coordinated investigations to bring criminals threatening and perpetrating violence in our communities to justice,” Krieger said.

The province will support local police departments investigating extortion cases by making $200,000 available through the federal Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund.

In June, the B.C. government also provided $100,000 to help Crime Stoppers run a 60-day campaign to encourage people to come forward about extortion threats. The campaign will now run for an extra six weeks due to more provincial funding.

“No person or family or business in our province should be threatened in this way, and we must do everything we can to stop these crimes,” Krieger said.