A 33-year-old Brampton, Ont., man has been arrested and now faces multiple extortion charges, Peel police said Tuesday.
The suspect was arrested in Hamilton after Peel’s new organization, the Extortion Investigative Task Force (EITF), looked into allegations that a former employee of a Brampton business owner had begun threatening violence, officers said.
Members of the force allege the suspect threatened the owner, their family and their staff if they continued to operate their business.
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Officials also said the accused claimed to have “ties to the mob,” which would force the victim to shut down their business.
These threats were made over the phone through calls and text messages, police said.
The 33-year-old was apprehended by the task force Feb. 12 and was held in custody pending a bail hearing.
The EITF was launched at the end of 2023 following what Peel police referred to as a “disturbing” trend of extortion attempts targeting the region’s South Asian business community.
According to members of the task force, multiple arrests have already been made this month.
Anyone with information or who is a victim of an extortion-related offence is asked to contact the Extortion Investigative Task Force at 1-866-966-0616 or by email at taskforce@peelpolice.ca.
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