Calgary town hall addresses extortion, crime targeting Sikh community

Albertans — predominantly members of the South Asian community — gathered at the Venice Banquet Hall in northeast Calgary for a town hall Saturday to address concerns around extortion and crime, with provincial and federal elected officials in attendance.

The town hall, hosted by the World Sikh Organization of Canada, was one of a series held nationwide, with others taking place in Brampton, Ont., and Surrey, B.C.

Alberta regional president Jaskaran Sandhu said the concerns being expressed stem from reports of criminals "terrorizing the community" through extortion, organized crime and violence — the Sikh community in particular.

"We all know someone, we're all one or two degrees separated from someone who has been directly impacted by the violence," he said.

He's referring to growing concern around crimes targeting South Asians across Canada. Last year, the RCMP alleged the Indian government was linked to violent crimes in Canada.

The Indian government has denied those allegations.

"This is part of a national effort," Sandhu said. "This is not a local issue. This is not just a Calgary issue. It's not just an Edmonton issue. It's a Canadian one, and it's happening across the country ... the scale is just unfathomable."

Sandhu said the town hall having an array of elected officials from across the political spectrum — including Liberal, Conservative and NDP MPs, and UCP and Alberta NDP MLAs — to address the issue of extortion targeting South Asians is promising.

"The hope is that once people start talking about it, decision-makers and those that can do something about this will be equipped with some more perspectives to tackle the issue," he said.

Calgary police working to address concerns

"A concerning rise in extortion-related incidents targeting members of the South Asian community" has been identified by the Calgary Police Service.

"While extortion-related crimes are not new, recent cases have escalated in severity, including threats and actual violence," reads a September 2025 chief's report to Calgary Police Commission.

The police service says extortion threats happening in Alberta are similar to those happening elsewhere in Canada, including South Asian business owners being threatened with violence or receiving threatening messages demanding money.

The report acknowledges that the vast majority of those incidents have been reported in Ontario and British Columbia, but that police "acknowledge the community’s concern about the potential spillover of similar threats into Calgary."

WATCH | New reports of extortion targeting Edmonton's South Asian community:

Calgary and Edmonton police both held town halls to address concerns around extortion targeting the South Asian community this past summer.

A South Asian Extortion Working Group has been created by the Calgary Police Service. The group meets weekly and works with the RCMP, Edmonton Police Service, and law enforcement in British Columbia to monitor trends and investigate reports of extortion.

"To date, investigators have identified several victims, and efforts continue to ensure all leads are thoroughly pursued," reads the Calgary chief's report.

Police say they're still investigating two "property damage-related shootings" that happened this past July, which they believe may be connected to extortion targeting the city's South Asian community.

Provincial cybercrime task force coming

Justice Minister Mickey Amery was among the provincial representatives in attendance. He said what he's heard from members of the community is "absolutely heartbreaking."

"It's something that we have zero tolerance for here in Alberta," he said.

Amery said the province is taking steps toward addressing extortion, including launching a task force "very soon" to address cybercrime.

That includes extortion, which he said often includes threatening messages or calls from anonymous accounts and private numbers. By focusing on cybercrime, the province would be better-equipped to trace those digital extortion attempts back to the source.

"We'd be able to to target the individuals that are committing these crimes in a more accurate, I think, and a more responsive manner," Amery said.