Edmonton police say they are getting a clearer picture of the group behind the series of extortion crimes targeting the region’s South Asian community and are seeking two more suspects.
On Wednesday, the Edmonton Police Service released more surveillance videos of suspects in the extortion series known as Project Gaslight.
From shootings to new homes being torched, police are investigating 34 incidents related to the ongoing extortion that has affected the South Asian community, in particular home builders, in the Edmonton region since October 2023.
The extortion scheme has seen members of the South Asian business community threatened for money in exchange for “protection” and officials have said failure to pay out has resulted in arsons and drive-by shootings.
“At this time, we don’t have any information that suggests definitively that anyone has paid,” said Staff Sgt. David Paton, with the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) Section.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the shootings but there’s been an estimated $10 million in property damage from the arsons and shootings.
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Canada-wide warrant out for suspect in 3 shootings linked to South Asian extortion -
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Several videos released of suspects in extortion of Edmonton’s South Asian community -
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Edmonton extortions: Jerry can bought at Walmart, one filled at southside gas station on Jan. 28 -
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Edmonton extortions: Home lit on fire in southeast Edmonton on Dec. 31 -
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Edmonton extortions: Beaumont house lit on fire on Dec. 14 -
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Edmonton extortions: Suspects in Leduc on Nov. 24 -
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Edmonton extortions: Suspects with jerry can in southeast Edmonton on Nov. 6
“Our recent efforts to identify suspects and collect information about their activities have been very helpful in advancing this investigation,” Paton said.
“We are starting to get a very clear picture of the hierarchy of this group.”
Edmonton police said their last news release issued at the end of April led to a lot of new information coming in.
After that, investigators carried out search warrants at a home in south Edmonton and another one in Beaumont.
“Police seized items related to the investigation, and arrested and interviewed two suspects,” Paton said, adding they were later released. EPS added charges have not been laid in relation to those search warrants.
Paton said it’s a massive investigation with a lot of moving pieces but he’s happy with how the case is progressing.
“There’s 34 occurrences. There’s a lot of individuals that are suspects in this investigation. And so it’s the work of trying to compile it all, take all these nuggets of information from all the various sources and put it together in a comprehensive package so that we can then facilitate those charges.
“So it’s a matter of time.”
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Detectives are now releasing several more images and surveillance videos to solicit tips and identify suspects and a suspect vehicle in several December 2023 incidents.
In the first video on Dec. 15, 2023, two men are seen buying and filling gas cans at a Petro Canada gas station at 351 Allard Way SW.
Edmonton police said those suspects have been identified, but officers are looking for any other information about their activities on that date. (See video below)
Another video from later that evening shows a red car captured on camera near the scene of a Dec. 16 arson at Cy Becker Road and 48 Street in northeast Edmonton. Police said investigators are looking for any information about the vehicle. (See video below)
About two weeks later on Dec. 29, two men were seen entering a Circle K at 20010 Lessard Road and gathering “burn material” outside at the pumps, believed to be paper and cardboard in a trash can.
Police are looking to identify the suspects shown in the video below going into the gas station and taking the burning materials. (See video below.)
Also on Dec. 29, at a home on Esaiw Place in west Edmonton’s Edgemont area, a white car was captured on camera arriving prior to an arson, and later three suspects are seen running away after the fire is ignited. The vehicle is also captured on camera fleeing after the arson, police said. Officers are looking for any information about the suspects or the vehicle. (See video below.)
Cases of such crimes are being investigated not just in Edmonton, but also in Ontario and in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
Investigators in other province have previously said the tactics being used in Canada are commonly employed by organized crime groups in the Indian state of Punjab.
Police in Surrey and Abbotsford issued public warnings back in November after business owners in the BC Lower Mainland began to receive threatening letters.
Global News obtained a copy of one of the letters, which claimed to be from an “Indian gang” and demanded $2 million in “protection money” or the recipient would face retaliation.
Abbotsford police said it was investigating the leak of a police “Law Enforcement Only” bulletin that said investigators were looking into an “ongoing extortion” believed to be tied to two shootings at the homes of victims and an arson case.
It said the suspects are believed to be tied to a gang based in India headed by a man named Lawrence Bishnoi, and the scheme targets “affluent members of the South Asian community.”
The bulletin said the Hindi-speaking suspects use the messaging service WhatsApp to contact victims and threaten violence after “demanding large quantities of currency.”
In some cases, police said the suspects appear to have detailed knowledge of the victim’s personal information, such as family members, vehicles and lifestyle patterns.
If the victims don’t pay up, their properties get torched – or worse. Edmonton police said the suspects have been known to make follow-up demands for higher sums of money, “leading to an escalation of violence and drive-by shootings.”
Anyone who has information about any of the suspects shown above, or about the events related to this crime series is asked to contact police immediately at projectgaslight@edmontonpolice.ca or 780-391-4279.
Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
— With files from Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
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