Members of the Sikh community share their worries as targeted, often violent, extortion attempts have been on the rise. Adrian Ghobrial reports.
BRAMPTON, Ont. — Violent extortion efforts, reportedly linked to international organized crime groups, have plagued South Asian families and business owners across Canada more frequently in recent years.
Now, a city councillor from Brampton, Ont., has disclosed that many in his area suspect that copycat criminals are responsible for several violent extortion incidents occurring recently.
“They’ve learned from the organized crime groups. The copycats see how easy it has become to drive by a residence or business in the middle of the night and fire some shots off. They record the shooting with their own phones and then share the videos to instill fear in the community,” says Brampton Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor.
Peel shooting Footage from April 2026 shows a person shooting at a home in Peel Region, west of Toronto, while another films.
Recent footage from residential security cameras has shown numerous shootings in Brampton and Mississauga, Ont. Each incident shares a pattern: two individuals exit a vehicle; one is armed and starts firing at a home or business while the other records it on their phone. This video is then posted online or shared among criminals to spread fear among their targets.
The message is clear: If you don’t comply with their extortion demands, you could be next.
“Criminals hope that their targets will give in to the fear they feel, that they’ll give in to the demands, making those payments in exchange for safety. That’s how they’re now operating in our communities,” says Toor.
Gurpartap Singh Toor Brampton Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor. ( )
Toor acknowledges that while these high-profile arrests are positive news, each new shooting or extortion attempt continues to undermine any sense of safety.
In May, spoke with one victim who was recently targeted. While he requested anonymity for safety reasons, he did reveal that criminals threatened his son if he didn’t send them thousands of dollars.
He told : “You’re too scared to go for a drive; you’re too scared to go inside your house; you’re too scared to come out of your house.”
It’s something many people have echoed when talking with over these past three years after experiencing violent threats themselves.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and patience to repair trust within our communities. The federal government has made changes to ensure violent offenders aren’t released immediately after a shooting occurs. The hope is those laws provide true justice; however we also need local investments into our communities so we can help prevent these cross-border and domestic criminals from succeeding,” adds Toor.
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Dozens of arrests
In May, Peel Regional Police arrested 17 suspects connected to a series of violent extortion cases primarily targeting members of the South Asian and Sikh business community in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga. A total of 106 criminal charges were filed as part of this joint investigation initiated in December 2025 involving agencies like the FBI, Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police, Surrey Police Service and Edmonton Police Service. This week, RCMP joined forces with the FBI and LAPD in Los Angeles to announce that an additional 24 suspects tied to three different organized crime groups based out of India had been apprehended. Yet according to Toor, many people across Canada continue to live under this threat. “Just last week, I received two phone calls from two separate individuals. One had received calls and messages demanding cash payments; the other had their business shot at on three separate occasions over the last month,” says Toor.Gurpartap Singh Toor Brampton Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor. ( )
Toor acknowledges that while these high-profile arrests are positive news, each new shooting or extortion attempt continues to undermine any sense of safety.
In May, spoke with one victim who was recently targeted. While he requested anonymity for safety reasons, he did reveal that criminals threatened his son if he didn’t send them thousands of dollars.
He told : “You’re too scared to go for a drive; you’re too scared to go inside your house; you’re too scared to come out of your house.”
It’s something many people have echoed when talking with over these past three years after experiencing violent threats themselves.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and patience to repair trust within our communities. The federal government has made changes to ensure violent offenders aren’t released immediately after a shooting occurs. The hope is those laws provide true justice; however we also need local investments into our communities so we can help prevent these cross-border and domestic criminals from succeeding,” adds Toor.
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