The Current - Extortion and threats targeting South Asians in Canada

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

Jas Arora’s life was turned upside down by phone calls from strangers demanding money and threatening violence if he didn’t pay up. He’s not alone. The CBC documentary Our House explores threats and extortion targeting members of the South Asian community in Canada, and why the RCMP alleges the criminals have links to India’s government. 

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news, so I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with Season 3 of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy.

On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway and this is The Current Podcast. It is obvious that the government of India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians here on Canadian soil, whether it be murders or extortion or other violent acts, is absolutely unacceptable. It was a very serious allegation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He made it in October, just hours after the RCMP issued a similar warning. The Maudis announced that they had learned about significant threats to the safety and security of Canadians, particularly in South Asian communities. intimidation in Canada. Members of the pro-Khalistan movement were specifically mentioned,

but many other members of South Asian communities have been dealing with extortion attempts for almost two years. Police say they are investigating dozens of cases across this country. The CBC's Saurabh Sandhu has been talking to people affected in British Columbia and brings us his documentary, Our House. It was early in the morning of August 23rd. Security cameras at Jaisaluda's house in Abbotsford, B.C. record what was going on outside. Someone is throwing glass bottles over the gate towards his house. And my oldest son came and he called me outside. He goes, dad, mom, come outside, somebody, this has happened. He stepped outside to a thick smell of gasoline. There's too much

glass and gas and smell. It was so scary. There was broken glass everywhere. My wife said, no, no, go inside right away. Just don't do anything. Don't look at it. Please, please shut down the lights. Call, please, immediately. Jas called 911. It was a nightmare. I was shaking, body, kids were shaking. And I was talking to a police officer and the phone rings. It was a man speaking in Punjabi.

He was demanding money and there was a deadline. And they're saying, now you have 72 hours. 72 hours for what? To kill me. It was a really hard time. It's still difficult for Jaz to talk about that night

and the next 72 hours. Police advised him to move to a hotel, but he refused. They can come home anytime. They can come to hotel anytime. They know everything about me. But Jas did give clear instructions to his family. This was so scary. We were sleeping in different rooms

and asking if something showed up, how we can act. It doesn't matter who comes or not. If anyone came for him, the rest of the family was to stay quiet and hide. I went to a lot. A lot, because this is just the latest threat. Jazz owns a busy trucking company. The head office is here in Abbotsford with satellite offices in Calgary and India. There's a shop out back where trucks are being fixed. Dozens of rigs are parked in the yard and across the road.

The office looks a bit like a modular home from the outside. Inside is a labyrinth of rooms with offices for dispatch and safety. Hi, how are you? We are here for Jas. Jas, your name? Saurabh. Saurabh. for dispatch and safety. Hi, how are you? We are here for Jazz. Jazz, your name? Saurabh. Saurabh.

Nicole Nass leads me into Jazz's office. I wear a lot of hats, I guess. I wear, I do everything for him. Her desk is about a meter from Jazz's. She sits just below a wall of screens. They are from the security cameras around the building. Now we have more cameras and more security and it's life-changing, honestly. They are from the security cameras around the building. Nerve-wracking because Nicole is well aware of the threats that her boss has been getting for a year and a half. I think it's not fair for me being a Canadian.

I'm born here. I think it's really unfair what's happening. She was there when he got the first threat in the spring of 2023. But she could not understand because it was in Punjabi. A man Jas knew through his business came to his office to deliver it in person. And he goes, Jas, I heard that they want to kill you and they will need $2 million from you.

But the sad thing is they will kidnap you, they will get the money from you, but they also will kill you. What they did is make a report and give me a handover of the police file number. Nothing else.

He says he hasn't had any updates on that file since. But the threats didn't stop. A month later, this call over WhatsApp. He was looking at the mafia or gangster and he was talking, we have people all over the world. Either pay the money or we'll see. We'll call you again. The caller was demanding $1 million.

We will get our money, the caller said. The day we shoot, don't keep your family at home. Then don't say we did not tell you. The man said he didn't care if Jais recorded the call. Again, Jais reported it to the police. But the threats kept coming. He stopped answering, so they called his wife. I said, ask him to pick up the

phone. Otherwise, we know your son, where is your son. We will kill him. Our people are there, and we will kill your husband. Jaz stopped going out to public events. He even stopped going to the gym. He kept his kids home from school and now he wants them to move out of the house for their safety honestly I was considered I will pay if I have money but I don't have money and I like I don't feel like paying someone that it's hard money working money how can you give to someone right so but sometime my family is saying that better to pay off to moving on to your next chapter so you did have those conversations like yeah that maybe we should pay yeah instead of paying, Jas decided to speak out in the media and at public forums.

Satish Kumar organized one here, in the banquet hall he owns in Surrey, B.C. Today, it's getting decorated with crystal chandeliers and huge bouquets of white silk flowers for a reception. But in January, this is where he invited police, politicians and victims to talk about extortions in the South Asian community. I know when I did the form, people say, oh, what the hell are you doing? It's natural. Even the public officials were scared to come. Yeah, people were scared to come. Yeah, people were scared to come. Everybody was scared at that time. Everybody.

People were scared, but still hundreds of people showed up. So we're going to talk, right? Yeah, we're going to talk. I think it will be a little quieter inside. Satish sits in his small office tucked in the corner of the banquet hall. Satish is also the president of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society. He says he was hearing about hundreds of cases of extortion.

People got letters, phone calls, but nobody reported to the police. When we talked to the police, only five to six cases were reported. His own son's house was shot at in December 2023. My son was sleeping there, but they don't know what's going on. When they wake up in the morning, His own son's house was shot at in December 2023. They reported it to the police. Even till September, nothing, no information.

Who did that? He's frustrated by the lack of progress in investigations, like the one at his son's house. Police are trying, but no results so far from the police side. So you're doing a documentary, and it's related to the extortions occurring across the country? Across the country, yes. Alright, I'll do my best to give you the answers.

In September, I met with Superintendent Adam McIntosh. He's in charge of the RCMP's National Coordination and Support Team, or NCST. Federal policing recognized that this was beyond just a local issue. It was more of a national issue. The NCSD was formed at the start of 2024 after a number of extortions targeting South Asian communities were reported in Alberta, Ontario and B.C. People are being intimidated and fear is being used to extort them from money. And some of that's followed up with arson, shootings, or destruction of property. It's certainly causing fear in the community.

And that's how they're able to continue to move forward because their objective is to make money. In Edmonton, police are investigating more than 40 incidents where South Asian business owners were targeted. And in July, a breakthrough. Six people were arrested and are facing more than 50 charges. When you put all of us together and working the way that we're working, more people are going to be charged. In Ontario, five people were arrested and charged for offenses related to extortion. Here in BC, there have been no charges. Two people were arrested in December, but they were released. In these circumstances, people generally are afraid.

And nothing I can say is suddenly going to change and take away that fear that they have. But if I was an officer who had charged that investigation in that jurisdiction, I'm going to ask the questions about what is the actual fear versus a perceived fear. We are a rule of law country. We can't just go violate people's rights. We have to go through a process to obtain information and evidence. And organized crime is organized. They use efforts to avoid detection, which take time. And so sometimes we can do everything within our power to support an individual who is in fear, and that still won't take away all their concerns. But I do know that we're doing everything we can to support individuals, families, businesses, to mitigate those concerns to the extent possible.

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news. So I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with Season 3 of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy. On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Superintendent McIntosh wants more victims to come forward. This is Pyle Business Center, a very popular shopping destination for Indian community here in Surrey.

This is where I first learned about extortions going on here in the community. There were shootings, there were extortion calls, extortion letters, and there were robberies at gunpoint. Just a few blocks away from this shopping plaza is Connect FM, one of a number of Punjabi language radio stations based in Surrey. Hi, how may I help you? Oh, hi, my name is Saurabh. I'm a reporter with CBC News. I have an appointment with Vijay Saini. The door is open.

Vijay Saini is in the studio, just wrapping up his morning radio show. I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have finished today's program. I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have finished today's program. I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have finished today's program. Have a nice weekend. And now let's listen to the news. And now let's listen to the news. And now let's listen to the news.

Punjabi, stand up. How are you? I'm good. How are you? Good to see you. He says this year, the issue of extortion has been a hot topic. Today, I actually had somebody from Calgary on the show. His home was shot at last week, and he was sharing his ordeal. Just when you feel that maybe it is subsiding,

you hear a story which brings the issue, refreshes it right back up again. When somebody like that comes to your show and narrates their story, what's the sort of response that you get from your listeners? It was, again, the same thing. People are like, you know, this is just getting too much out of hand.

Our legal system, our law enforcement has gotten so weak. We've become a safe haven for people who are unbashedly and so brazenly doing what they're doing. You know, it's almost like they don't fear the law. He's had politicians and police on his show trying to get answers. They talk the talk. They know the seriousness and the gravity of the issue, the situation. But sometimes it feels that those are empty words.

What's being done after that? I understand and I appreciate that police and other officials cannot divulge all the discussions that they're having. This is something that is an ongoing process where things need to be changed, laws need to be changed, and investigations take time. That's all understandable. But it's been more than a year. And despite the fact that we've had reports from various parts of the country, despite the fact that the perpetrators know that this is not something that is happening in the underbelly of the city where a lot of people don't know about it, that should be a deterrent in and of itself when a perpetrator knows that the legal system, the law enforcement apparatus is on top of this issue. That should be a deterrent

big enough for the perpetrators to step away. Is that happening? An extraordinary situation is compelling us to speak about what we have discovered in our multiple ongoing investigations. Then, in mid-October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duham made this announcement. What we're seeing is intimidation, harassment, extortion, coercion, any way or form that they feel threatened to obtain information for the government of India or through the agent. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner. The officials are being accused of using their positions to engage in criminal activities. Its accusations, the government of India denies. Bridget Gauvin is the Assistant Commissioner of RCMP Federal Policing.

But what we've seen is the use of organized crime elements and it's been publicly attributed and claimed by one organized crime group in particular, which is the Bishnoi group. And we believe that that group is connected to agents of the government of India. to agents of the government of India. Lawrence Bishnoi is a gangster who has been in an Indian jail for the last nine years. He has more than 30 criminal cases pending against him. Indian investigators estimate Bishnoi controls a gang of 700 members across several Indian states.

His name came up in one of the extortion calls that Jazz Arora, the owner of the trucking business, received in August. Lawrence wants $1 million, the caller said. I have no idea who's behind it but the one thing is i'm for sure these are multi peoples they made groups right and they make a gangster groups and this is how they make money right are you able to say what these groups are like yeah the groups are from india's right but they are saying that people are working here. So you now can say it's India, it's people are here. We all know, doesn't matter how much blame we Indian government or India,

it's our problem, it's our country problem. It's happening in our house. When I'm talking house, I mean it's our country. It's Canada. I'm Canadian house, I mean our country. It's Canada. I'm a Canadian citizen, not an Indian citizen. Jais says he thinks the RCMP announcement has helped. He hasn't had any calls in the last couple of months. And now he sees regular police patrols around his home and business. But he's still worried about people here in Canada doing work for gangs in India.

We know that we need people. The problem is when you're bringing someone, you need to know who you're bringing it and why you're bringing it, where you check your reference, where you check their criminal records. It's, you know, when people are coming, they're not coming with the good attentions, all of them. Not all of them, you know, most of them, you can say that. It's something that the radio host Vijay Saini said too. He hears from callers, immigrants themselves, who are frustrated with the system. We asked for response from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada. In a statement, they say they work closely with the Canada Border Services Agency, the RCMP, the Canadian

Security Intelligence Service, as well as its international partners to do security screening. as well as its international partners to do security screening. And it checks against international databases to confirm identity and determine admissibility. Jais Arora is not confident in that system. He himself came to Canada as an immigrant when he was in high school. My parents moved me to Canada. Only reason is because of better life. But where's a good life here?

Where's the safety here? Came here, no complaint, hard working, started from zero, did everything. Now we're thinking about the same thing. My dad was in the situation when he wants to move us from that country and now i was thinking the same my kids start thinking that they don't want to live here anymore because they he saw me he goes like it's like a jail here like it's been impacted because you always gotta look over your shoulder now right like usually i just like you know

normally go about now but now i always have to double over your shoulder now, right? Like, usually, I just, you know, normally go about now, but now I always have to double-check, oh, like, where am I going? Is it safe here? Who am I hanging out with? Are they the right people and stuff, right? Jas's youngest son, Devin, has been sitting quietly. He brought him a roll of paper towel when Jas needed something to wipe his eyes. Like, for this age, I don't think you should be really doing that, but, like, now I have to, right? Devin is 18. He just graduated from high school and now he's not sure what's next.

Initially we decided on me getting into my dad's business and that was always been the plan but recently due to these circumstances it's changed and then I've had to go look for a job and it wasn't my decision and I'm not happy to, right? But sometimes you have to adjust to the different environments, right? I wanted them to be out. That's the plan. I want to see them success in different countries and different matters. They're not doing trucking maintenance.

They're not going to deal with those peoples that I have to deal with. They're not allowed to come to office. So far, Jas has filed nine reports with the police. I'm pretty sure it's a serious threat, right? So far, Jazz has filed nine reports with the police. me on the phone call which has been recorded. Whatever I'm saying, it's been recorded. It's not just evidence. It says that go to police station, go to hell, or talk

to them. They already know us. Do whatever you want to do. How I can sleep? When am I going to say it's a serious one day. When I'm no longer. The documentary was produced by the CBC's Saurabh Sandhu with help from Liz Hoth at the Audio Documentary Unit.