Police in Surrey, B.C., say they are investigating 44 cases of extortion against residents and business owners, including 27 that involved shootings.
The rise in cases has prompted the City of Surrey to put up a $250,000 reward for information leading to convictions.
The fund will offer people with “key information” the ability to collect a reward if they are prepared to work with police to secure charges and convictions for those responsible for the crimes, the City of Surrey said in a release.
In August, a car wash in Surrey was targeted with gunfire. The owner told Global News it came after recent extortion threats.
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Gunfire shattered the windows of the 1313 Car Wash on 84 Avenue near 128 Street. Lovepreet Singh, who has owned the business for about two and a half years, said he’d received a call from an unknown number demanding $50,000 in the days before the incident.
Then, in early September, Surrey police said they believed an early morning shooting in a residential neighbourhood was linked to “an ongoing extortion investigation.”
Police in the area have been investigating extortion targeting the South Asian business community, with some cases being linked to the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Politicians, including Premier David Eby and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, have urged Ottawa to designate the gang as a terrorist entity.
Surrey Police Service Chief Const. Norm Lipinski said on Monday that the Surrey Extortion Reward Fund will provide police with another tool to address “the most urgent issue in our community.”
Anyone with information can call the tip line at 236-485-5149, which is monitored seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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