Five Arrested in B.C. Extortion Probe; One Caught at Toronto Airportਬੀ.ਸੀ. ਜਬਰੀ ਵਸੂਲੀ ਜਾਂਚ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੰਜ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ; ਇੱਕ ਟੋਰਾਂਟੋ ਹਵਾਈ ਅੱਡੇ 'ਤੇ ਫੜਿਆ ਗਿਆ

Five young men have been arrested in a joint police operation targeting extortion in British Columbia, with four taken into custody in Surrey and the fifth detained at Toronto Pearson International Airport, police announced on Friday.

Langley RCMP Superintendent Harm Dosange and B.C. Extortion Task Force Chief Superintendent Duncan Pound announced the arrests at a news conference, saying all five suspects were arrested on Thursday and have been charged with extortion-related offences. Investigators executed coordinated operations under Project E_PURSUANCE, and police say more suspects have been identified and further charges are expected.

Who was arrested

Police identified the accused as 23-year-old Sanket Singla, 24-year-old Sahil, 24-year-old Simranjit Singh and 21-year-old Harsh, all linked to Surrey, along with 24-year-old Jagdeep Singh of Ottawa. Officers said Singla had been in India and was arrested at Toronto Pearson on October 1 after returning to Canada. All five remain in custody.

The five, all foreign nationals in their 20s, face a raft of charges including extortion, arson, explosives, drug and multiple firearms offences. Investigators also seized firearms and drugs suspected to be cocaine, fentanyl and opium during the operation. Police said any alleged ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang will be tested in court at trial.

Probe began with threats to a Langley dealership

According to Supt. Dosange, the investigation began in June 2025 after threats were allegedly made against the co-owners of an auto dealership to extort money. What started with threats to the Langley business grew into a wider probe spanning shootings and arson in Langley and Surrey.

Police are now sharing evidence with policing partners across Canada, a sign of how the extortion networks under investigation stretch beyond B.C.'s borders, underlined by the arrest at Toronto's airport.

A crisis for South Asian businesses

The arrests land in the middle of an extortion wave that has rattled B.C.'s Lower Mainland, where business owners, many of them South Asian, have reported threats, shootings and arson aimed at forcing payouts. Surrey police have logged dozens of extortion cases, and business groups in Surrey and Delta have demanded stronger action for months.

The B.C. Provincial Extortion Task Force and the Lower Mainland District Joint Force Operation have been chipping away at the networks behind the violence, with several foreign nationals already charged in connected investigations. Friday's announcement is one of the biggest single blows of the campaign, and police say it won't be the last.

Who was arrested in the extortion operation?

Five young foreign nationals in their 20s: 23-year-old Sanket Singla, 24-year-old Sahil, 24-year-old Simranjit Singh and 21-year-old Harsh, all linked to Surrey, along with 24-year-old Jagdeep Singh of Ottawa. Four were taken into custody in Surrey and the fifth, Singla, who had been in India, was arrested at Toronto Pearson International Airport on October 1 after returning to Canada. All five remain in custody.

What are they charged with?

They face a raft of charges including extortion, arson, explosives, drug and multiple firearms offences. Investigators also seized firearms and drugs suspected to be cocaine, fentanyl and opium during the operation. Police said any alleged ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang will be tested in court at trial.

How did the investigation begin?

The probe began in June 2025 after threats were allegedly made against the co-owners of an auto dealership in Langley to extort money. What started with threats to the Langley business grew into a wider probe spanning shootings and arson in Langley and Surrey, executed as coordinated operations under Project E_PURSUANCE by Langley RCMP and the B.C. Extortion Task Force. Police say more suspects have been identified and further charges are expected.