The Edmonton Police Service believes it has found all of the people behind a series of extortion crimes being investigated under Project Gaslight, but getting the alleged ringleader on Canadian soil to face justice is a hurdle still to be overcome.
From shootings to new or under-construction homes being torched, police investigated dozens of incidents in the Edmonton region since October 2023 that investigators say are extortions targeting the South Asian community — in particular, home builders.
Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, 35, is believed to be the leader of the criminal organization responsible for the series of extortions and had been the subject of a Canada-wide warrant since July 2024, when six other people were arrested.
Police had previously said he was affiliated with the Brothers Keeper organized crime group, also known as the Dhaliwal crime group, out of the B.C. Lower Mainland.
While Dhaliwal is from Edmonton and has ties to the city, last summer police said investigators believed he was orchestrating the extortions from overseas.
EPS said it was working with its federal and international counterparts, including the drug enforcement administration, to find Dhaliwal.
Police alleged the criminal network led by Dhaliwal was recruiting young adults “who may be influenced to commit crime for financial incentives.”
In late 2024, Dhaliwal was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on separate criminal charges.
The EPS has applied for the extradition to Alberta of Dhaliwal, who is believed to be the leader of the criminal organization responsible for the series of extortions.
There is no extradition treaty in place between Canada and the United Arab Emirates for transfer of offenders to a Canadian prison, according to the federal government.
According to UAE law, an extradition request may be granted if the crime in question is punishable by at least one year of imprisonment but is done at the country’s own discretion.
“This investigation has been a massive effort on the part of EPS investigators, with never-before-seen complexities involving international coordination, and we are very pleased to see it conclude with the request for the extradition of Dhaliwal,” said EPS Organized Crime Branch Insp. Duane Hunter.
“This outcome shows criminals that international borders will not protect them, and we will not tolerate this kind of violence in our community, no matter where it originates from.”
It’s not yet known if the extradition request will be granted, however the criminal case is moving ahead to trial.
Project Gaslight going to trial
The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service filed an indictment on Tuesday, EPS said, and criminal charges resulting from Project Gaslight will proceed to trial at the Alberta Court of King’s Bench. Dates for that are not yet known.
The extortion scheme saw members of the South Asian business community threatened for money in exchange for “protection” and officials have said failure to pay out has resulted in arsons and drive-by shootings.
No injuries were reported but the arsons and shootings caused millions of dollars in damage in Edmonton and Beaumont, and left many people on edge.
On July 25, 2024, police arrested six people – a 20-year-old woman named Jashandeep Kaur, and five men: Gurkaran Singh, 20, Manav Heer, 19, Parminder Singh, 21, Divnoor Asht, 19 and a male who was 17 at the time of the offences. As of their arrests, one of them was a permanent resident, two were Indian nationals and the rest were Canadian citizens.
They, along with Dhaliwal, are facing a total of 54 charges.
Police said the charges include extortion, arson, intentionally discharging a firearm, break and enter and assault with a weapon, as well as a number of charges linked to committing an offence for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization.
Edmonton police said officers investigated a total of 40 crimes related to the extortion series and no new incidents have been reported since the last arson on July 26, 2024.
It was a massive investigation spanning all four corners of Edmonton, as well as south of the city in Beaumont.
Police said the Project Gaslight investigation has officially concluded.
Arson extortion mirrors crime tactics employed in India
Cases of such crimes were or still are being investigated in Ontario and in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
Investigators in other province have previously said the tactics being used in Canada are commonly employed by organized crime groups in the Indian state of Punjab.
Police in Surrey and Abbotsford issued public warnings back in November 2023 after business owners in the BC Lower Mainland began to receive threatening letters.
Global News obtained a copy of one of the letters, which claimed to be from an “Indian gang” and demanded $2 million in “protection money” or the recipient would face retaliation. Abbotsford police said it was investigating the leak of a police “law enforcement only” bulletin that said investigators were looking into an “ongoing extortion” believed to be tied to two shootings at the homes of victims and an arson case.
It said the suspects are believed to be tied to a gang based in India headed by a man named Lawrence Bishnoi, and the scheme targets “affluent members of the South Asian community.”
The bulletin said the Hindi-speaking suspects use the messaging service WhatsApp to contact victims and threaten violence after “demanding large quantities of currency.”
In some cases, police said the suspects appear to have detailed knowledge of the victim’s personal information, such as family members, vehicles and lifestyle patterns.
If the victims don’t pay up, their properties get torched – or worse. Last year Edmonton police said the suspects were known to make follow-up demands for higher sums of money, “leading to an escalation of violence and drive-by shootings.”
— with files from Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press