Latest news with #NCST
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Growing frustration as B.C. extortion cases mount but arrests remain few
There is growing frustration in British Columbia's Lower Mainland as the number of extortion attempts continues to mount with little in the way of arrests or charges. On Tuesday, Global News reported that the number of open extortion files with the Surrey Police Service this year had climbed to 26, up from 10 in early June. But those numbers may far under-represent the situation, according to longtime Punjabi journalist Gurpreet Singh Sahota, who said there is mounting outrage that 'nothing is happening' to bring the extortionists to justice. 1:57 Spike in extortion cases in B.C. South Asian community Sahota said he has heard that the extortion demands could number in the hundreds, not all of them within the South Asian community, and that many of the targets aren't going to police. Story continues below advertisement 'Some people try to arrange their own way; they don't want to go to police,' he said, adding that many people fear consequences if they speak publicly about the threats as well. 'Your name comes up and it's hard to get life insurance, it's hard to get a mortgage,' he said. At the same time, Sahota said people see headlines from Ontario and Alberta where Peel Regional Police and Edmonton police have made multiple arrests resulting in charges. BC RCMP have so far announced the arrest of two suspects on suspicion of firearms, extortion and arson offences, but no one has been charged. 'People are looking for results. People want to see the pictures of the people coming in a press release. People want to see the names, these guys are charged, and these guys are deported,' he said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'So they want to see the real results, not the statements.' 2:32 Surrey extortion suspects released from custody The RCMP formed the National Coordination and Support Team (NCST) last year, with the goal of supporting extortion investigations across the country. Story continues below advertisement Supt. Adam MacIntosh, officer in charge of the NCST, acknowledged the public concerns, but said there is little police can do if people don't come forward. 'There are still occurrences happening which, no doubt, is very scary for people when their house is shot at, their business is damaged, or they themselves are being threatened or their family,' he said. 'The only thing I can say to them is that we encourage you to contact the police of jurisdiction, report what's occurred, allow them to work with you, build that trust, and they can work with a safety plan with you.' McIntosh added that while every investigation is different, one factor that could play into the speed in bringing charges in Alberta and Ontario is that police are responsible for charge approval in those provinces, while in B.C. it is the Crown prosecution service. 1:49 Edmonton's south Asian community 'doesn't feel safe' amid new threats University of Alberta assistant law professor Sanderine Ampleman-Tremblay told Global News that the standard for a case to see charges approved in B.C. is 'quite high.' Story continues below advertisement 'It's a substantial likelihood of conviction. Whereas in other provinces, you usually have the reasonable likelihood of conviction,' she said. 'It's just more difficult to get the evidence to have the threshold to prosecute.' While it may be easier for police to lay charges in other provinces, however, Ampleman-Tremblay noted that those cases won't necessarily make it to trial as prosecutors will still review the file and may choose to drop them if they don't think they can win in court. She added that the discrepancy between B.C. and Alberta and Ontario may simply be that investigators in other provinces had more success in gathering evidence to move the cases forward. 'Sometimes you don't know what the investigation yields either, right?' she said. 'There is a lot of variability depending on the type of evidence that is found throughout a police investigation.' In Edmonton, police have charged six people, one of whom has already pleaded guilty. In Ontario, Peel Regional Police recnetly charged 18 people. They have also arrested three men from Delta who stand charged with first-degree murder in a fatal Brampton shooting. The victim's wife says he had received an extortion call before his killing. Story continues below advertisement MacIntosh said police are doing everything they can to advance the investigations, but acknowledged some of those involved in the actual extortions are likely low-level recruits, rather than the masterminds. 'Oftentimes, they may not know who they're directly working for, which, of course, makes it more complicated for the police,' he sia.d Sahota, meanwhile, said the longer the crimes go on without visible progress from police, the greater the fear grows in the community. 'They are worried when somebody's house gets shot,' he said. 'They are firing 10 bullets at your house, so it could be anybody, your kid will be playing outside, or you will be sitting in the living room — bullets just hit, it can happen anywhere, when they fire the bullets, they don't see if it's hurting someone.
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton 'ground zero' for South Asian community extortion plots: RCMP
Edmonton appears to be ground zero for extortion plots that have criminally extracted millions from successful business people within its South Asian community, says a Surrey, British Columbia-based senior law enforcement leader with the RCMP. Article content 'Edmonton was probably the first place that started to see the series of extortions in the fall of 2023 really. And then, of course, we saw extortions here in the Lower Mainland, as well as in Peel Region in Ontario,' RCMP Superintendent Adam MacIntosh told Postmedia in a phone interview this week. Article content Article content Article content 'In January of 2024, the RCMP said, 'Obviously, there's connections across the country. We need to look at how we might be able to support the police of jurisdictions across the country.'' Article content Article content In addition to being in charge of NCST, MacIntosh wears the hat of leading the Cyber and Financial Investigation Teams (CFIT) in British Columbia — both high stakes, high accountability roles, generating intelligence and evidence through investigation, looking for inter-relation of crimes across the country, and internationally. Article content Edmonton as incubator Article content The NCST supported the Edmonton Police Service as a ring of extortion emerged in the Project Gaslight investigation where South Asian home builders were being targeted via arson, and continues to probe other organized crime, including transnational events, drug trafficking, cyber security and national security,. Article content Article content 'You should be very proud of the work done by the Edmonton Police Service in Project Gaslight. They've done some fantastic policing which has resulted in positive outcomes of suppression through enforcement and charges,' said MacIntosh. Article content Article content 'They stood up another new task force, and there's simply some really great work going across this country with police agencies around a very complicated, sophisticated group of organized crime related to these extortions.' Article content The suspected kingpin charged in Project Gaslight, is still in Dubai. Canadian authorities are planning to extradite Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, who has an Aug. 1 Edmonton court date, along with four other Edmontonians charged in the case.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Scheduled Tribe panel notice to Rajasthan government over school roof collapse deaths
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on Saturday (July 26, 2025) issued notices to authorities in the Rajasthan government following the collapse of a government school roof in Jhalawar district on Friday (July 26, 2025), which claimed the lives of seven children and left dozens injured. In a statement, the constitutional body said it had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident based on media reports, adding that several of the deceased and injured students belonged to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. Notices have been issued to the Chief Secretary of the State, the District Collector, and the Superintendent of Police in Jhalawar district. The Commission has directed the officials to submit a detailed report along with an action taken report within three days. 'The Commission has taken this matter very seriously,' the NCST said in its public statement. On Friday morning, seven children were killed and 28 others injured - nine of them seriously - when a portion of the roof in one of the classrooms collapsed. The incident occurred in a government school located in Piplodi village of Manohar Thana block, as students were preparing for the morning assembly. About 30 students were trapped under the debris and later pulled out by rescue teams. Jhalawar District Collector Ajay Singh Rathore stated that the school building had not been identified as structurally weak in the recent survey carried out by the Education Department. According to student accounts reported by The Hindu, the 40-year-old building had shown signs of deterioration, including persistent water seepage and tree branches growing into the walls. Some students had reportedly noticed plaster falling from the ceiling prior to the collapse.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Complaint against YouTuber, astrologer for remarks on Meghalaya tribals
Shillong: An activist has complained to police against a YouTuber and an astrologer who reportedly claimed in a post that tribals in Meghalaya still practise human sacrifice. A police officer said a case has been registered. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The activist, Enlang, also petitioned the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), seeking action against the two. Enlang, in his complaint, said the video posted on June 13 with defamatory remarks has maligned the tribal communities of Meghalaya. The YouTube channel, hosted by content creator Raghav Sharma, featured astrologer Sushil Guru. In the broadcast, the guru allegedly claimed that "Meghalaya tribals still practice human sacrifice and cannibalism". The complainant claimed that the video with "hate speech" has gone viral. The petitioner asserted that the statement is not only false and derogatory but also designed to incite communal hatred and tarnish the scheduled tribe communities in Meghalaya. The NCST has not yet issued an official response. PTI
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Nat'l ST commission meets tribals opposing Rims 2.0 construction
1 2 Ranchi: Amid growing opposition from tribal residents over the proposed establishment of the second campus of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) at Nagri, on the outskirts of Ranchi, a five-member delegation of National Commission of Scheduled Tribes (NCST) led by member of the commission Asha Lakra visited the proposed site on Saturday and spoke to the locals. During the visit, the delegation interacted with the locals opposing the construction and assured them that their grievances would be taken into account. Following the visit, Lakra spoke to TOI and said that NCST has taken cognizance to the matter and thinks that the project must be shifted to a different location, in order to protect the livelihood of the local adivasi population. "The proposed site for Rims-2, which is around 272 acre in total, is largely agricultural land and livelihood of around 250 families solely depends on that land. If the construction of the project takes place, the tribals will lose both their source of income and identity, which will be in contrast to the mandates of the Constitution of the country. NCST is of the view that the project must be shifted to another location which is barren, so that the tribals do not lose their livelihood," Lakra told TOI. Following the on-ground visit, the delegation called on governor Santosh Gangwar and informed him about the matter. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Fastest Selling Plots of Mysore from 40L | 40+ Amenities PurpleBrick Learn More Undo Lakra said, they will also send a detailed report of the situation to the President of India and Jharkhand govt as well. The controversy around the project has been ongoing for around two months now. In June, dozens of farmers in Nagri sowed seeds on the roadside after the district administration stopped them from working on their fields, which were marked for the construction of the new medical college hospital. The issue has also sparked political differences within the ruling alliance. While state health minister and Congress leader Irfan Ansari has publicly supported the establishment of the second Rims campus, calling it vital for expanding healthcare infrastructure in the state, his party colleague Bandhu Tirkey has taken a contrary stand. Tirkey has sided with the protesting villagers and urged the govt to reconsider the location of the project. Ansari on Friday told media that there should not be any opposition in matters related to state's development. "If the CM, who represents the tribals, agrees to the project, I think there must not be any opposition. The construction of Rims-2 will help create new employment avenues for the locals," Ansari added.
