Police in Edmonton, Canada say gangs are targeting South Asians with a series of extortion and arson plots.
Authorities believe six recent incidents may be loosely connected to 40 arsons, extortions and shootings in 2023 and 2024 known as Project Gaslight.
“It is connected at a higher level, but as far as actual people that are perpetrating those crimes, it is different people, and (it) is young people,” Edmonton Police Service Chief Devin Laforce told CTV News.
According to the CBC, police have connected the crimes to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. They believe the perpetrators are using Whats App to demand money.
Both B.C. Premier David Eby and Brampton, Ont., Mayor Patrick Brown have called on federal authorities to designate the gang a terrorist organization. They accuse the group of carrying out its crimes across the country.
In the two previous years, several arrests were made in similar crimes targeting both the home builders and the wealthy. Authorities accuse them of extorting money from its victims in exchange for protection, Global News reported.
Police arrested six people associated with Project Gaslight. Investigators identified their leader as Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 35.
He is being held in the Middle East where he was arrested in late 2024.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang gets its name from its leader, Lawrence Bishnoi, say Canadian authorities. He has been in prison for more than a decade.
Registration is closed for Common Ground: Building Together conference and gala award banquet in San Francisco on January 24. A shoutout to our planning committee: Jane Chin, Frank Mah, Jeannie Young, Akemi Tamanaha, Nathan Soohoo, Mark Young, Dave Liu, and Yiming Fu.
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