Surrey police service are investigating an extortion-related capturing after pictures have been fired outdoors a residence within the metropolis’s Bear Creek neighbourhood early Saturday morning.
Police say officers have been known as to the 8600 block of Galway Crescent round 2:20 a.m. on Jan. 17, the place they discovered a house broken by gunfire.
The residence was occupied on the time, however nobody was injured.
Investigators consider the capturing was extortion-related, and the main crime division has taken cost of the investigation.
The incident comes amid a sequence of extortion-linked shootings and threats in Surrey.
World information has beforehand reported on extortion circumstances involving threats in opposition to members of the Indo-Canadian neighborhood, elevating considerations about organized crime and potential overseas interference. Police haven’t launched particulars about who was focused within the newest capturing, or whether or not the incident concerned the Indo-Canadian neighborhood.
In a World Information interview, Wade Diceman, a criminology professor on the College of the Fraser Valley, mentioned the important thing query now could be whether or not the violence is pushed solely by organized crime or one thing extra.
“I believe the important thing level of rivalry is de facto whether or not what we’re seeing is type of purely extortion-related crime, which is motivated by gang, or whether or not what we’re seeing now could be what we’d name overseas interference by proxy,” Diceman mentioned.
Diceman pointed to RCMP intelligence obtained by World Information suggesting potential hyperlinks between the Bishnoi gang and the Indian authorities.
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“The entry to info request that World Information filed produced a report which reveals that the RCMP believes fairly strongly that there are some hyperlinks there. It’s not conclusive, nevertheless it’s very sturdy,” he mentioned. “And that adjustments the entire tenor and strategy essential to fight one thing like this, as a result of it’s not a pure crime phenomenon anymore.”
He mentioned the violence is affecting a broad cross-section of the Indo-Canadian neighborhood, not simply these tied to political actions overseas.
“It’s not simply people who’re recognized with that motion,” Diceman mentioned. “It’s on a regular basis people within the Indo-Canadian neighborhood who’re being focused, profitable companies specifically.”
Diceman additionally mentioned movies circulating on-line after some incidents seem meant to intimidate communities.
“Very clear communication and message to say, ‘This is perhaps you subsequent,’” he mentioned, warning that the scenario dangers turning into a wider public security disaster.
He mentioned the response wants to increase past legislation enforcement and be framed as a nationwide challenge.
“There’s been a type of a disappointing willingness to kind of simply see this as an issue of the Indo-Canadian neighborhood,” Diceman mentioned. “Or no. It’s an issue of the Canadian neighborhood.”
Surrey police say the investigation stays in its early phases and are asking anybody with info, together with CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
