Premier David Eby described the extortion crisis that is taking place in Surrey and other areas in the province as terrorism.
Surrey has seen 33 extortion-related shootings so far in 2025 and 59 extortion reports not related to shootings, as of Thursday (Oct. 9).
"We pushed hard with the federal government to ensure that the Lawrence Bishnoi group was listed as a terrorist entity and any other organization that's involved in this extortion, because this is terrorism. This is an effort to terrorize the community, to extort money from them, and whether it's an individual thug or whether it's a group of people working together, it is completely unacceptable," Eby said.
The Bishnoi gang is a transnational criminal organization that operates out of India but is known to have a presence in Canada, stated a post on publicsafety.gc.ca.
Eby emphasized that advocating for the Lawrence Bishnoi group to be classified as a terrorist organization was crucial, as this group has allegedly been involved in several extortion shootings in Surrey. The federal government officially designated the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity in Canada on Sept. 29.
At an unrelated press conference on Tuesday (Oct. 14), reporters asked Eby what he had to say to community members who felt that not enough was being done to tackle the crisis, especially in light of the Oct. 12 shooting in Whalley that left one woman critically injured.
"It's awful to imagine that someone who believed she was safe at home was not," Eby said. "Ensuring that people are safe in our communities, regardless of whether it's here in Surrey or anywhere else in the province, is a key priority for us."
The woman was inside a home that was shot at in the 13000 block of 103A Avenue. CBC reported that the woman was asleep at the time of the shooting, and police confirmed Tuesday (Oct. 14) that they believed the Oct. 12 shooting was extortion-related.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke noted that, along with the city and the province, many police agencies are working together to tackle the crisis and that there is "some light at the end of the tunnel."
A provincial task force has been set up to tackle the surge in extortion-related crimes affecting B.C.'s South Asian community, with representatives from Lower Mainland RCMP detachments, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Surrey Police Service, Abbotsford Police, Delta Police, the Canadian Border Services Agency and Metro Vancouver Transit Police.
The city also announced on Sept. 15 a $250,000 reward for information leading to convictions in the Surrey extortion cases.
"All of those pieces together are really creating, are creating synergies with the police, both nationally and at the local level, here and in British Columbia. But I think we also always need to remember this is a transnational crime," Locke said. "These are international gangs that are in our city, and certainly Surrey is feeling the brunt of it, but it is right across the country."
"But I can tell you, we are all putting our shoulder to it as best as we can," Locke added.
Last week, police announced that seven men had been charged in connection with an extortion-related offence.
Harmanjot Brar, 25, and Hardilpreet Singh, 23, were charged with arson and possession of stolen property after a vehicle was set on fire in Surrey on Sunday, Oct. 5, in a case that's being investigated by the joint extortion task force.
On Oct. 6, the BC RCMP announced that the Lower Mainland District Joint Force Operation (JFO) has secured charges against two suspects for their alleged involvement in extortion-related offences dating back to 2024. BC Prosecution Service has laid charges against 26-year-old Abjeet Kingra and 24-year-old Vikram Sharma. Both men have been charged with the discharge of a firearm with intent and arson.
On the same day (Oct. 6), Surrey Police announced that charges had been laid against Mandeep Gidda, 23, Nirmaandeep Cheema, 20, and Arundeep Singh, 26, in connection with a March 27 shooting at a home.
-With files from Tricia Leslie
