BC Forms Task Force to Address Extortion and Shootings in South Asian Community

An RCMP officer enters a cafe that was shot at, in Surrey, B.C., on Aug. 7, 2025. Police are investigating after shots were fired for the second time within a month at Kap's Cafe, which is linked to comic and television host Kapil Sharma. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A provincial task force has been established in British Columbia to respond to the rising number of extortion threats and shootings targeting the South Asian community.

The task force announced by the province on Sept. 17 comes in response to several  homes and businesses being sprayed with bullets. Dozens of threats, and some of the associated attacks have also been depicted on social media by the apparent perpetrators.

B.C. RCMP have executed four search warrants in the past few weeks and more than six arrests have been made thus far, assistant commissioner John Brewer said during a Sept. 17 press conference.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger addressed criticism about the number of arrests and the mounting frustration among the community during the press conference, noting that the investigations “are in progress.”

“I understand there may be frustration that there have not been more arrests,” Krieger said. “No person, family, or business in our province should be threatened in this way and we must do everything we can to stop these crimes.”

The B.C. RCMP will oversee the task force, which will include 40 representatives from multiple law enforcement agencies.

The task force distinguishes itself from current policing units because of its varied membership and a province-wide responsibility to organize investigations aimed at holding accountable those who issue threats and engage in violent acts, Krieger said.

“This task force formalizes the sharing of intelligence about extortion threats, allowing police to be more effective in investigating organized crime activity,” she said.

Extortionists have issued threats to both business owners and individuals throughout the Lower Mainland. One notable incident involved a cafe in Surrey owned by Indian celebrity Kapil Sharma that was struck by gunfire in July. The restaurant was shot at again the following month.

The mayor of Surrey announced a $250,000 reward fund on Sept. 15 for information that results in convictions related to extortions in the city, where police are investigating 44 cases, including 27 that involved gunfire.

Ongoing Investigations

Police have accused the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang of involvement, prompting a demand from B.C. Premier David Eby and others to classify the gang as a terrorist organization.

Brewer told the news conference, however, that police do not believe all of the attacks were committed by the same crime group.

“While some of the victimology and the tactics, threats and intimidations are similar, we do not believe that many of these cases have been committed by the same individuals or organized crime groups,” he said, noting that some of the incidents may have been “copied as a crime of opportunity.”

Brewer said it was impossible to say how many cases the new task force would be investigating because the extortion files were constantly being updated. He also noted that police cannot release too much information because it could compromise their investigations.

“In order for these investigations to be successful, we can’t speak to specific work that has been done to date, but please know that progress is being made,” he said.

The province has announced $300,000 in funding to help with the investigations. It is allocating $200,000 from the federal government’s Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund to assist municipal police departments in their investigations of extortion cases.

Another $100,000 will be made available through the same program to enable B.C. Crime Stoppers to persist with its public awareness campaign aimed at encouraging individuals to report threats and aid police in identifying suspects.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.