Extortion in Peel Region: 5 more suspects arrested

Five more people have been arrested in connection with extortion-related incidents involving South Asian businesses in Brampton and Mississauga.

Peel Regional Police announced the arrests in a news release Wednesday afternoon. They have now arrested 21 people and laid 154 charges under their Extortion Investigation Task Force (EITF), launched in 2023.

“Victims of these incidents are often contacted through social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, which allow online group chats,” police said.

They alleged that the suspects would demand large sums of money from victims under threat of violence.

“These incidents included property damage, threats of violence and firearms offences,” police said.

Three of the five suspects are from Brampton, while the other two are from Hamilton and British Columbia, respectively.

They have been identified as Harmanjit Singh, 25, Tejinder Tatla, 44, Rukhsar Achakzai, 21, Dinesh Kumar, 24, and Bandhumaan Sekhon, aged 27 years. They face a total of 16 charges.

“EITF continues to work closely with law enforcement partners in Canada and the US to investigate these incidents and we anticipate that our efforts will lead to further arrests and charges,” Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a video statement .

“Anyone who receives a demand for money under threat of violence is urged not to make any form of payment and call the police immediately.”

The investigations also resulted in the seizure of 20 firearms, 11 kilograms of methamphetamine, over $10,000 in proceeds of crime and the recovery of six stolen vehicles.