Canadian police have arrested six individuals and issued Canada-wide warrants for a seventh suspect in connection with the extensive extortion series known as Project Gaslight. The arrests were made in relation to the extortion scheme that targeted South Asian business owners in the Edmonton area.
The arrested suspects, including Jashandeep Kaur, 19, Gurkaran Singh, 19, Manav Heer, 19, Parminder Singh, 21, Divnoor Asht, 19, and a 17-year-old male, are facing numerous serious criminal charges.The seven accused are facing a total of 54 charges.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is currently investigating 40 incidents connected to this extortion series, with the most recent being an arson attack at an apartment building in the Cavanagh neighborhood.
On July 25, EPS and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers executed search warrants at six locations in southeast Edmonton, resulting in the arrest and charging of five males and one female believed to be involved in the extortion scheme targeting South Asian business owners in the Edmonton area.
“From the standpoint of sheer volume of information our investigators reviewed, this was likely one of the largest investigations in the history of the EPS, resulting in substantial charges for all accused,” said Acting Inspector David Paton of the EPS Organized Crime Branch.
“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 and we want parents, specifically from the South Asian community, to be aware and to have conversations with their young adults about the extortions and arsons that have been taking place”, he added.
Canada-wide warrants have been issued for Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 34, who is alleged to be the leader of the criminal organization responsible for the extortions.
The arrested suspects, including Jashandeep Kaur, 19, Gurkaran Singh, 19, Manav Heer, 19, Parminder Singh, 21, Divnoor Asht, 19, and a 17-year-old male, are facing numerous serious criminal charges.The seven accused are facing a total of 54 charges.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is currently investigating 40 incidents connected to this extortion series, with the most recent being an arson attack at an apartment building in the Cavanagh neighborhood.
On July 25, EPS and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers executed search warrants at six locations in southeast Edmonton, resulting in the arrest and charging of five males and one female believed to be involved in the extortion scheme targeting South Asian business owners in the Edmonton area.
“From the standpoint of sheer volume of information our investigators reviewed, this was likely one of the largest investigations in the history of the EPS, resulting in substantial charges for all accused,” said Acting Inspector David Paton of the EPS Organized Crime Branch.
“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 and we want parents, specifically from the South Asian community, to be aware and to have conversations with their young adults about the extortions and arsons that have been taking place”, he added.
Canada-wide warrants have been issued for Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 34, who is alleged to be the leader of the criminal organization responsible for the extortions.