Calgary Police Host Town Hall On Extortion Threats Targeting South Asian Community - Beritaja
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It’s a concerning, sometimes violent, inclination successful cities crossed Canada, including Calgary: extortion cases that person been targeting South Asian business owners.
They’ve go progressively common, including a shooting astatine a location successful Redstone, successful northeast Calgary, successful precocious January.
“It’s benignant of scary, for illustration random group is conscionable coming to sprout somebody’s house,” said Antonette Gamara, who has lived successful Redstone for almost 11 years.
“I deliberation the Calgary constabulary is doing their best. They’re trying their champion to investigate. But of course, we want much information measures for everyone — and we person bid of mind.”
“It would beryllium awesome if for illustration location was a constabulary position present making sure, for illustration hey. we’re present to protect you guys and for illustration thing for illustration that could hap again,” said Emmanuel Barake, who lives adjacent the location wherever the shooting took place.
“We want this area aliases organization to beryllium secure,” added Jose Valdez, different neighbour who agreed location needs to beryllium much constabulary officers successful the area.
Thursday night, area residents will get a chance to talk to constabulary about their concerns astatine a municipality hall.
Calgary constabulary said, since July 2025, location person been 12 reported cases of extortion, pinch 9 of them involving a shooting astatine a home, conveyance aliases business.
Police said those being targeted are being contacted complete societal media aliases WhatsApp, pinch the extortionists demanding ample sums of money and threatening unit if they don’t person it.
Extortion of South Asian business owners is an rumor that has cropped up successful Edmonton and Vancouver successful caller years arsenic well.
On Thursday evening, Calgary organization members will beryllium fixed a chance to talk their concerns astatine a municipality hallway attended by members of the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and Calgary Crime Stoppers.
Coun. Raj Dhaliwal, who represents the organization connected metropolis council, told BERITAJA he hopes the arena leads to immoderate action being taken, not conscionable talk.
“Talk is cheap. Residents are saying, ‘Okay, well, you cognize what? We don’t consciousness safe going outside. We get these calls, we get our houses changeable at. What is happening? Who’s doing what?’ And that’s why I’m gladsome CPS is doing this today,” said Dhaliwal.
“So hopefully they’ll beryllium capable to get immoderate answers retired to these residents. But arsenic a councillor, but besides arsenic a resident, besides arsenic organization member, I want answers, too.
“I’m not going to beryllium idle till location is simply a concrete, robust scheme successful spot that is decently dealing pinch this issue.”
The municipality hallway is scheduled to return spot from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. astatine the Dashmesh Cultural Centre successful Martindale.
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Federal authorities commits much resources to extortion violence
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