The strong pressure from the South Asian community to bring the extortion crime menace to a halt is finally forcing police to do their work and make arrests of criminals from India and here who have been terrorizing community businesses and individuals. Singh was arrested on December 5 and is in custody. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on December 10. “The BC Extortion Task Force has been working hard to advance investigations and secure charges,” says Assistant Commissioner John Brewer, BC RCMP. “While this charge approval signifies a strong step forward, please know that we are not done. Through our evidence-based investigations and strategic, intelligence-led operations we are committed to pursuing those who commit violent acts and are involved in extortions to hold them accountable.”

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

SURREY – The strong pressure from the South Asian community to bring the extortion crime menace to a halt is finally forcing police to do their work and make arrests of criminals from India and here who have been terrorizing community businesses and individuals.

Police said this week that as a result of a series of investigative steps taken by the BC Extortion Task Force, evidence gathered to date has led to Crown Counsel approving one charge against a suspect for his alleged involvement in a shooting that took place in November in Surrey.

At approximately 7:35 pm on November 12, RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit (SPOSU) officers responded to calls of possible shots fired at a residence located in the 17000 block of 32 Avenue, in Surrey. Officers from the Surrey Police Service (SPS) also attended and a media release was distributed.

The BC Extortion Task Force assumed conduct of these investigations while working closely with policing and law enforcement partners and has continued to advance the investigation. This investigation series involved one primary victim and several incidents related to them.

The BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of unlawfully discharging a firearm, contrary to Section 244.2(3)(a) of the Criminal Code against 21-year-old Avtar Singh.

Singh was arrested on December 5 and is in custody. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on December 10.

While a charge has been laid against one suspect, the investigation remains active and ongoing. Please contact your local police of jurisdiction if you have any additional information, as this could be important to support the investigation.

 “The BC Extortion Task Force has been working hard to advance investigations and secure charges,” says Assistant Commissioner John Brewer, BC RCMP. “While this charge approval signifies a strong step forward, please know that we are not done. Through our evidence-based investigations and strategic, intelligence-led operations we are committed to pursuing those who commit violent acts and are involved in extortions to hold them accountable.”

The BC RCMP would like to emphasize that each investigation is approached with a well-established framework to gather evidence and follow that evidence in a disciplined and thorough manner. The Task Force continues to work with its partners at the local, provincial and federal levels to ensure communication and coordination of relevant intelligence while maintaining independent investigations. Task Force investigators are actively working to determine if this file has any evidentiary links to other ongoing investigations.