Immigration officials deport 5, investigate 96 in connection to B.C. extortions, task force says

Police and politicians are facing growing pressure to do something about the surge of extortion violence that has terrified the South Asian community.

Border agents have opened investigations into 96 foreign nationals in connection to the ongoing rash of extortion attempts primarily targeting the South Asian community in B.C., the provincial task force investigating the incidents announced Friday.

The Canada Border Services Agency has, so far, removed five of those individuals from Canada, the B.C. Extortion Task Force said in a news release.

The task force provided few specifics about the ongoing investigations, saying only that immigration enforcement officials have been “an integral part” of the task force since its creation in September.

“Their role is to assist in the execution of search warrants, conduct Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) investigations and share information with law enforcement partners," the release reads.

The 96 individuals are being investigated because they “may be inadmissible” to Canada, the task force said.

“The CBSA has a legal obligation to remove as quickly as possible all foreign nationals found to be inadmissible to Canada under the IRPA,” the release reads.

‘Not all spoken about publicly’

The task force’s most recent enforcement effort happened Friday morning, with investigators executing a search warrant at an unspecified residential address in the Lower Mainland.

With the help of the Lower Mainland District Integrated Emergency Response Team, investigators arrested “multiple individuals” who were inside the home at the time. They also seized “items,” and “the search and investigation remain ongoing.”

If that sounds vague, that’s the point, according to the task force.

“Making arrests and conducting search warrants are an integral part of our investigations but are only one of the many tools being used by investigators,” the release reads. “Over the course of the task force’s investigations, several arrests have been made, however they are not all spoken about publicly. The reason we are not publicly speaking about each arrest or search warrant is to protect the integrity and viability of the ongoing investigations.”

The task force said its efforts since its creation have been focused on “understanding linkages between files, establishing series, identifying suspects and suspect groups and co-ordinating with law enforcement partners across the province and the country.”

Authorities tight-lipped on Delhi arrest

The task force said it is also in contact with international authorities, including police in Delhi, India, who say they have arrested “the “prime conspirator” behind a series of extortion-linked shootings at Kap’s Cafe in Surrey.

B.C. RCMP Asst. Comm. John Brewer said in the release that the task force is aware of the arrest and “working to assess any potential connections to ongoing investigations here in British Columbia.”

The arrested man has been identified by Delhi police as 28-year-old Bandhu Maan Singh Sekhon, who they say fled to India after a police crackdown in B.C. led to the arrest of several of his associates.

The B.C. task force has not publicly confirmed any of that information.

“While we continue to be cautious about the information shared regarding active and ongoing investigations, we want the communities to know we are making progress,” said Brewer. “Our investigations are intelligence-led and evidence-based, and we encourage anyone with information about these crimes to report them to your local police.”

The task force also encouraged anyone who has been the victim of an extortion attempt to report it to police, save all communications and not respond to threats or comply with demands.

With files from The Canadian Press