Surrey, B.C., man calls for urgent action on extortion threats after businesses shot at 3 times
Satish Kumar held a public safety forum Sunday to address crime targeting South Asian business owners
A Surrey, B.C., business owner is calling for urgent action from all levels of government over a growing trend of extortion and violence against members of the South Asian community in Canada, including himself.
Satish Kumar, the president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Temple and owner of Reflections Banquet Hall, says his banquet facility and another business he's connected to, Hub Insurance, have been targeted by gunfire three times in recent weeks.
The most recent shooting happened early Saturday morning outside a strip mall near 128th Street and 80th Avenue, where Hub Insurance is located. Police say they were notified of the incident around 2:30 p.m. that day and are working to determine whether it's an isolated event or connected to other cases under investigation.
Kumar believes the violence stems from threats he says he received on May 28 through video voicemails from numbers listed as being from Italy and New Zealand demanding $2 million. He says he reported the calls to police, but little progress has been made.
"What should I do?" Kumar asked during a public safety forum he organized on Sunday. "We have to put more security everywhere to protect our businesses. They've already done a lot of damage."
The event brought together business owners, police and elected officials to discuss the ongoing rise in threats and violence against the South Asian community in Surrey, and several other parts of Canada.
It comes less than a week after an Abbotsford man was shot and killed at his office in Surrey. Police say the motive is still under investigation but the incident does not appear to be linked to any ongoing investigations. No arrests have been made.
Surrey police launch dedicated extortion threat team
The Surrey Police Service says there have been 10 extortion reports in the city over the past six months.
Chief Const. Norm Lipinski says the department has launched its own dedicated extortion investigations team to focus on cases in the Newton and Whalley areas while also increasing patrols in a number of business areas in the city.
"These are complex investigations," said Lipinski. "Some stretch across Canada and some of these go beyond the borders."
Lipinski says officers are encouraging people to report extortion.
"We know that some of these extortions are under-reported ... I understand there's fear but you can also report it anonymously."
'A crime' to do well in business
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who attended Sunday's event, said the city is grappling with an alarming rise in violent incidents.
"It's breaking my heart," she said. "I don't like what I'm hearing and what I'm seeing."
She said her office is receiving calls daily from residents and business owners affected by the recent threats.
"What you see is the tip of the iceberg," Locke said.
Some residents, she said, are too scared to speak out and others have relocated their families out of the province altogether.
"It has become a crime in Surrey to do well in your business and the target is on those people that have done very well."
Locke is urging the provincial and federal governments to take immediate action.
"This is a provincial issue, this is a federal issue," she added. "This means that the minister must, must go to Ottawa and tell them they have to focus on this."
Garry Begg, the minister of public safety and solicitor general for British Columbia, says law enforcement agencies are actively responding to the rise in extortion cases and working closely with national partners.
"We've hired 250 RCMP officers across the province," he said. "Fighting crime is the responsibility of the community with the help of the police, and that's what we're doing."
He acknowledged the broader scope of the threat, describing the extortion incidents as "transnational crimes" that are also being reported in other parts of the country.
The ongoing spate of extortion attempts targeting South Asian business owners led the RCMP to form a national task force last year to deal with the issue, which police have also reported in Alberta and the Greater Toronto Area.
According to Surrey police, it's a similar story across Canada: Individuals or businesses from the South Asian community are contacted through a letter, phone call or social media and told to hand over large sums of money under the threat of violence.
Kumar says he's doing what he can to raise awareness on the issue but wants to see results.
"I don't know what the outcomes are gonna be, but I want to make people aware."
He has also announced a $100,000 reward for any information that might help solve any of the shootings or threats.
With files from Sohrab Sandhu and Shaurya Kshatri