High number of Surrey extortion victims being targeted repeatedly: SPS

The ongoing saga of extortion cases south of the Fraser River has developed another twist.

The Surrey Police Service (SPS) says as of Dec. 8, there have been 106 extortion files in the city — 44 of them linked to shootings.

The latest wrinkle is that the number of victims who have been repeatedly targeted is 76.

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton tells 1130 NewsRadio that within the latter figure, there have been some who have been threatened two, three and sometimes four times each.

“Oftentimes, what happens is a victim will not pay. They will not agree to the demands, and then they’ll be called and threatened again — that might be several days later after the initial call, or it might be weeks or even months later. It sometimes depends on who the victim is and what kind of business they have. We’ve seen some victims who are business owners where the business is the one that’s threatened and revictimized once, twice or three times.”

Among cases fitting Houghton’s description is one of the highest profile: Kap’s Café. The establishment, linked to Bollywood star Kapil Sharma, has been targeted by gunfire at least three times and forced to close for lengthy repairs each time.

Houghton says police tell potential victims not to pay criminals, but it happens.

“In some cases, they’re trying to get more money a second or a third time. We’ve talked to some victims who say they’ve been extorted in the past and they’ve paid, only to be called and tried to be extorted again. Presumably, the [criminals] think they can keep going back to that well… even several times because they’ve been paid in the past. The amounts vary depending on the individual and the business. It’s sometimes in the tens of thousands up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Houghton won’t say how victims are getting money to criminals, adding it’s part of the investigation.

Instead of paying, Houghton says people should call the police.

“Allow us to work with you to put together safety plans… and please follow through with those, because not following through puts potentially you or others at risk.”

“People who haven’t been victims are worried… whether or not they or their homes or businesses may be next on the list.”

Houghton understands that people are fearful — a feeling that’s spreading throughout the community — specifically the South Asian community, which has been the main target.

“It’s distressing. People’s emotions are heightened. We’ve been to town halls, we’ve spoken with well over 1,000 victims, and business owners, and people who work at these places and live in homes that have been targeted, and people are understandably and rightfully very upset. And people who haven’t been victims are worried about their community being the target and whether or not they or their homes or businesses may be next on the list.”

While dealing with the scope of the investigation, the SPS warns there are also copycats out there.

“Likely low-level criminals are trying to take advantage of the situation and then try to re-extort someone who they think has been victimized previously.”

The initial contact with a victim, police say, is made via WhatsApp or phone calls. Houghton suggests that if you get an odd message that could be a scam, you should report it to the police.

“I think people’s first reaction may be to discount them or delete them or just ignore them. Well, don’t do that. Save them because that’s evidence and sometimes very good evidence for us in an investigation.”

Police have increased patrols in some areas of Surrey where numerous incidents have been reported. The increase will likely continue into the new year, when Houghton says the SPS hopes to announce more arrests and charges.