Six Arrested in Canada for Extortion Scheme Targeting Indo-Canadian Businesses.

July 30 :
Project Gaslight was an extortion plot in which six people were detained and a seventh was given a warrant for nationwide arrest by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) in Canada. Indio-Canadian businesses and persons in Edmonton are the targets of a plot that spans from last October and includes arsons, gun offenses, and extortions.

The EPS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) conducted searches in six different areas of the city and detained seventeen-year-old Jashandeep Kaur, nineteen-year-old Gurkaran Singh, nineteen-year-old Manav Heer, twenty-one-year-old Parminder Singh, and nineteen-year-old Divnoor Asht, according to a statement from the EPS.

Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 34, who is thought to be the boss of the gang responsible for the extortions, has been served with warrants. "We believe that the individuals identified today represent the core members of this criminal network; however, we know Dhaliwal is actively recruiting other young people," claimed David Paton, acting director of EPS's organized crime branch.

The 54 allegations against the accused are stated in the police statement and include extortion, arson, assault with a weapon, break and enter, and intentionally discharging a handgun. Charges have been filed in connection with 26 of the 40 extortion incidents that EPS is presently looking into in the city.

At a news briefing, Paton stated that investigators suspect Dhaliwal has been coordinating the extortions from abroad. EPS is collaborating with federal and international agencies, including as the US Drug Enforcement Administration, to find him. The police have also confirmed that they are in touch with their Indian counterparts to discuss the continuing inquiry. The most recent development in this case was an arson attack on an apartment complex in the Cavanagh area that took place early on July 26, 2024.