Just hours before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada, police in the Peel Region announced the arrest of 18 individuals linked to a violent gang largely made up of people of Indian descent.
The arrests were part of a major crackdown called Operation Outsource, launched last year in response to a surge in extortion cases and violent crimes targeting the South Asian community.
Peel Regional Police said the gang’s actions had spread fear and insecurity within their own community, with incidents escalating to drive-by shootings, arson, and other serious acts of violence.
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The gang reportedly focused on extorting South Asian business owners, demanding large sums of money and using threats and violence, including shootings, in cases of non-payment.
The police have laid 97 charges against the group and recovered property worth over 4.2 million Canadian dollar. Items seized include firearms, bullets, bulletproof vests, tasers, crossbows, and stolen vehicles.
The arrests follow the creation of the Extortion Investigation Task Force in December 2023, formed to tackle the increasing number of targeted extortion attempts in the region. According to investigators, the gang had two interconnected operations — one focusing on extortion and violence, and the other linked to the towing industry.
Police said the group committed insurance fraud by staging vehicle collisions and used violence, threats, and firearms to control towing services in the area.
This development is notable as several recent drive-by shootings have occurred in different parts of Canada, and earlier, some of these incidents had drawn political attention. With the arrests coming just before the Indian Prime Minister’s visit, the case has added a new layer to discussions around public safety and crime in the South Asian community in Canada.
