Business owners in the Fraser Valley say they are still receiving threatening phone calls demanding cash months after RCMP established a task force to deal with extortion attempts.
Some business owners say they have been getting constant calls since last summer, with callers threatening to kill their families if they do not pay up.
One victim told Global News that during one phone call, the extortionist told him that police wouldn’t do anything, knowing an officer was in the room with him.
“I need help. I can’t see if something goes wrong to my family,” Jas Arora with Highway King Transport told Global News.
It appears those making the threats sometimes follow through.
RCMP said a White Rock shooting last December is connected with the ongoing extortion cases.
In Edmonton, police said they believe a series of arson and drive-by shootings are also tied to extortion cases.
Earlier this year, the RCMP established a national team to tackle these threats against South Asian communities. Global News asked the BC RCMP for updates, but no one was available for an interview.
“Police take this very seriously,” B.C.’s Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said on Wednesday.
“What’s important and what police need is information and they need people who are facing these threats or extortion attempts to come forward.”
The entrepreneurs affected by these extortion attempts say they will discuss these issues at an upcoming town hall this weekend.
“We are not seen and the only way to be visible is to come out in strength and show that we need support,” said Amit Kumar with the Canadian Trucking Association of B.C.