South Asian communities across Canada are being terrorised by gangs – and city officials in Surrey, BC are calling on the federal government to declare a national state of emergency.

The crimes follow a distinctive pattern. South Asian gangs demand money from members of their own communities. Intimidation, threats and even shootings follow. Gang members drive to someone’s home or business, and video themselves shooting at buildings and vehicles. They then post the recording online or send it to the target, with threats of worse to come if payment is not made.

The gangs are expert at exploiting the weaknesses in Canadian immigration policy

The city of Surrey has seen a drastic uptick in these crimes, with police reporting 35 extortion attempts since the beginning of January. But the problem is perhaps even more severe in Brampton, Ontario with regional police reporting nearly 500 extortion cases each year since 2023. Edmonton, and more recently Calgary, have had their share as well.

Dharmjit Mand in Ontario says he was contacted in the autumn of 2025 via WhatsApp and told he had been chosen to ‘donate’ $2 million to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a transnational criminal organisation that is based in India but has reportedly put down deep roots in Canada. Mand blocked the number and told the police. But in late November, he got a call from another number with a threat: ‘We’re going to show you what we can do.’

The next night, a car drove by Mand’s farmhouse and seven shots were fired out the window. A video of the shooting was posted online with threats against Mand, accusing him of being a drug dealer. Police told Mand to move, so he went to live with his brother – only to have his brother’s house shot at a couple of weeks later. Mand said he now intends to move his family to the US.

Police say the extortions attempts are chiefly made on behalf of  criminal organisations based outside of Canada. Notable among these is the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, famously run from behind bars in a high-security Indian jail, where its eponymous mastermind has been incarcerated since 2015. The Bishnoi gang was designated a terrorist organisation by the Canadian government last September. Sikh groups have long accused Indian government agents of using the Bishnoi network to target pro-Khalistani activists in Canada, notably with the killing of Hardeep Singh on Canadian soil in 2023.

Other gangs, along with Bishnoi copycats, are involved in the extortion racket. A man linked to the ‘Brothers Keeper’ gang planned a series of extortions, shootings and arsons in the Edmonton area in 2023, targeting South Asians involved in the building industry. Newly built homes were burned down before occupancy permits could be issued, in revenge for the builder’s failure to pay protection money. All involved but the ringleader were eventually caught.

Caught, but then what? Both in Brampton and in Surrey, people fear that extortionists are getting off too lightly. Critics of current bail legislation point out that police are effectively forced to carry out a catch and release programme, arresting violent offenders only to see them back on the streets 24 hours later, pending an often distant court date. And when that day comes, the Canadian judiciary’s focus on reintegration into the community, combined with ‘identity-based justice,’ mean that sentences are often light and parole easily earned.

Gangs are also expert at exploiting the weaknesses in Canadian immigration policy. Many of their members are present in Canada illegally, often on expired student visas. Some were already known criminals in their home countries, who somehow escaped proper vetting on entry.

Last December, at least 14 suspects avoided deportation by claiming refugee status, buying themselves years of time in Canada, along with subsidised health care and social programmes, according to Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland. They now cannot be deported until the Refugee Protection Division rules on the merit of their claims – with a multi-year backlog of refugee cases to be processed ahead of them.

Back in Surrey, authorities worry that people aren’t reporting incidents of extortion out of fear. Some are perhaps even paying the money demanded. Locals say there is a strong sense that police are unable to protect the public effectively. Some are calling for stronger ‘castle’ laws in Canada so they can arm themselves in self-defence.

Police have called for Surrey residents to abide by the law, concerned that the situation may descend into vigilantism. One extortion victim was reportedly investigated after allegedly responding to a drive-by shooting by firing back.

People are on edge – and who can blame them? The Liberals under Trudeau created an untenable situation under which transnational organised crime has prospered. Now that Mayor Locke has turned the spotlight where it belongs – on the federal government – we’ll have an opportunity to see if the Liberals under Carney are any different.