Edmonton police warn South Asian community of extortion resurgence
Edmonton Police Service is hoping to build inroads with the South Asian community after an alleged resurgence of fresh extortions across the city.
At a town hall in the Southwood Community League Monday night, police gave an update on six new instances of extortion reported since May.
Police said they are using lessons learned during Project Gaslight, a year-long investigation into threats, arsons and shootings targeting South Asian home builders in Edmonton that wrapped up in summer 2024, to combat the resurgence.
Interim police Chief Warren Driechel said this new investigation is considered distinct, but shares similarities with Project Gaslight.
"They're very similar activity," he said.
Driechel said one of the biggest lessons during Project Gaslight was to engage the community faster.
"Part of today was us… asking for that information to ensure that if there's things we don't know, that we get that information," he told the crowd.
He said it is common for those coming forward with information to worry they will be targeted, which is why police want to help people feel safe and foster trust.
Sunny Johal attended the town hall because he said the violence happening in the South Asian community hits close to home.
"There's so much that has happened and so many Edmontonians have been impacted," Johal said.
"People will report these incidents to EPS, but… results don't happen overnight. So these townhalls help in understanding the process that EPS has been taking."
Jaspreet Kakra told CBC News that many in the community still feel unsafe and are even hiring private security.
"There's usually select times that we are out and about and we have to make sure that we're looking behind our shoulder half the time," Kakra said.
She hopes police work beyond this investigation to foster trust with the South Asian community.
"I think it's going to take more than a townhall to address these issues," Kakra said.
Previously, police have said the recent extortions are believed to be linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Premiers in Alberta and B.C. have called on the federal government to designate the group a terrorist organization.
Police warned members of the South Asian community to be on the watch for suspicious activity from youth, alleging that Project Gaslight ringleaders recruited young people to commit crimes.
"Youth feel alienated and sometimes and they're looking for a group to belong," Supt. Robinder Gill told the crowd.
He said one of the key areas for prevention is for family to watch for activity from youth such as a sudden influx in cash, feeling they don't belong, or lying about who they spend time with.
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Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Manav Heer, 20, pleaded guilty in the Court of King's Bench Friday to extortion, arson, conspiracy and using an imitation firearm as part of a criminal syndicate to extort money from around a dozen residential developers and their companies. Heer admitted to participating in arsons that damaged or destroyed a dozen homes worth around $10 million. He sat in the prisoner's box Friday wearing orange and black remand coveralls and did not react as prosecutor Breena Smith read in a 33-page agreed statement of facts detailing his crimes. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again The Crown says the mastermind of the conspiracy, Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, left Edmonton for India on July 31, 2023, and directed the arsons from the United Arab Emirates, where officials have sought an extradition order. One of the victims was told the threats were linked to Brothers Keepers, the notorious gang founded in British Columbia. Smith said the scheme was part of a 'large Indo-Canadian criminal organization.' Heer, who was 19 at the time of his arrest, was one of five adults and a youth charged with carrying out the plots. He said the group usually began by identifying a seemingly wealthy homebuilder in the South Asian community, who received WhatsApp calls demanding payments as high as $1 million. They were told their homes would be torched and they would be shot if they didn't comply. At least two builders suffered drive-by shootings at their family homes. Heer played a mid-level role in the scheme. According to the agreed facts, Heer recruited drivers to transport 'arson teams' to properties selected in advance, which were then torched with gasoline. He was part of teams that lit two fires at construction projects owned by Victory Homes, as well as a third attempted arson targeting the builder. He also fired an airsoft gun at a security guard keeping watch in a vehicle outside one of the builder's properties, after a co-accused smashed the car's window with a hammer. Heer also confessed to setting fire to a pair of properties owned by Berry Homes Ltd., which spread to two other homes, including a property occupied by a family with three kids. Also targeted were Active Homes and Gill Built Homes. Heer was arrested outside the latter's multimillion-dollar Gill Villa apartment project on Jan. 29, 2024, after police observed Heer and his crew buying a jerry can and filling it with gasoline. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The group communicated about the crimes in group chats, including one labelled with fire emojis, which was ultimately renamed 'Not Criminals.' Dhaliwal allegedly paid around $1,500 to $2,000 for an arson. The Edmonton police Project Gaslight probe involved thousands of hours of investigation across multiple agencies, including obtaining court orders to intercept hundreds of calls to and from the remand centre, as well as a multi-month wiretap. Police also held multiple town halls to gain trust in the South Asian community (court heard one of the builders temporarily stopped speaking with police, fearing retribution, after a drive-by shooter shot his house moments after a security guard he hired left to check on another property). One of Heer's co-accused, Divnoor Asht, pleaded guilty in May to arson and extortion and received 4-1/2 years in prison. Heer also admitted to a separate count of dangerous driving for a crash that permanently altered the life of a seven-year-old child. In November 2023, while he was participating in the arson scheme, Heer slammed his dad's BMW into a motorist who was turning left at James Mowatt Trail and 17 Avenue SW in Edmonton. Heer's vehicle was travelling 160 km/h in a 60 km/h zone seconds before the collision. The child was rushed to hospital and treated for a traumatic brain injury as well as other injuries. 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Social Sharing Another man has admitted he was part of a criminal conspiracy targeting successful South Asian home builders in Edmonton with extortion, arson and drive-by shootings. Manav Singh Heer, 20, pleaded guilty to arson, extortion and conspiring to commit extortion on Friday, about a year after he was among several others arrested in the Edmonton Police Service "Project Gaslight" investigation. Heer admitted he was involved in arsons at homes owned by four local developers, as well as an incident where he shot an airsoft gun at a car where a private security guard was watching over one of the developer's homes. He is the second person to plead guilty in the extortion scheme, which began in fall 2023 and continued into early 2024, with local home builders facing demands for cash, violent threats and torched properties. 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Court heard he was seriously injured and couldn't work for several weeks. Cellphone, surveillance evidence Police gathered evidence of Heer's involvement in the scheme from a wiretap, recorded Edmonton Remand Centre calls and material discovered on Heer's cellphone. In some cases, other alleged members of the conspiracy filmed the process of setting the homes on fire, and shared it with others in the group. According to the agreed facts, in one group text, Heer said he was paid a little more than $1,000 for one of the arsons, and he continued to do it for the money. In another group chat titled "Not Criminals," Heer and other members of the group talked about creating more "arson teams," getting guns and identifying more home builder targets. WATCH | Extortions orchestrated from India, EPS says: Police say Edmonton area extortions targeting home builders orchestrated from India 2 years ago Edmonton police are investigating 27 events in an ongoing extortion, arson and firearms series affecting the South Asian community in the region. An estimated $9 million in property damage has been reported from the arson and shootings. A list of addresses associated with one developer was found in a note on Heer's cellphone, titled with fire emojis, and police found addresses where arsons took place searched and saved on his phone. Police also discovered a web browser searches for home builders that were targeted as well as the phrase, "How much jail time facing for arsons." Heer was caught several times on surveillance video in the area of arsons, often wearing a "distinctive" pair of red and white striped Nike sneakers that were seized after his arrest. On Friday, Heer additionally pleaded guilty to a dangerous driving offence that took place within the same period as the Project Gaslight crimes on Nov. 25, 2023. Court heard that Heer was driving his father's vehicle on James Mowatt Trail S.W., a road with a speed limit of 60 km/h, at 160km/h. A woman driving with her seven-year-old son in the backseat was attempting to make a left turn in the intersection when Heer crashed into the car, with an EPS investigation finding the impact came at a speed of 124 to 137 km/h. The woman and her son were both injured and taken to hospital, where the boy became unresponsive. Court heard that he underwent emergency neurosurgery, but he was left with a severe traumatic brain injury. According to agreed facts read in that case, he's no longer ambulatory, and lost his vision and likely also his hearing. He will likely require full-time care for the rest of his life. Heer's defence lawyer, Rahul Nanda, has requested a psychological assessment ahead of a sentencing date, which will be scheduled later.
