Sixteen men, including individuals of Indian origin, have been charged in a Canadian investigation into an extortion racket targeting the South Asian community in Calgary, but only one of the accused remains behind bars while the rest have been granted bail.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
The 16 accused face a combined 56 criminal charges linked to a string of extortion-related incidents. None of those charged are Canadian citizens and that they are in the country on student or work visas.
Police have released mugshots of 15 suspects, hoping members of the public can provide fresh information about their identities, associates and movements.
Based on the information released by Calgary Police, the names of the 16 accused or wanted individuals associated with the investigation are:
Ravjot Toor
Germanjeet Singh (Wanted on warrants)
Jaskaran Singh
Karanbir Singh
Amandeep Singh
Anurag Sidhu
Anurag Singh
Amandeep Malhi
Sandeep Singh
Daksh Gautam
Akashdeep Singh
Gagandeep Singh
Pardeep Singh
Taranveer Singh
Gurkaran Dhaliwal
One accused whose name has not been publicly released in the reports you shared, as police published mugshots of only 15 suspects while stating that 16 people had been charged.
"What we need now is more information about these people, who they're associating with, where they're spending their time, whether they are working anywhere, or any other details that may seem small but could be very significant," said Supt. Jeff Bell.
Police said some of the accused had been using aliases. Bell noted that in one instance, a suspect's roommate did not know his real name until investigators informed him.
The release of the photographs has been welcomed by members of Calgary's South Asian community.
"We have been demanding that there should be some pictures," said Rishi Nagar, news director at Red FM, a South Asian radio station in Calgary. "[Without them,] I don't know the person sitting by my side in a bus is the person who has been charged or not — I don't know."
There have been 49 extortion-related incidents in Calgary since April 2025, including 19 shootings. Eighteen involved gunfire directed at victims or their property, while one involved suspects shooting at each other.
Bell said the pace of violence has slowed in recent months. Nine of the shootings took place during the first 60 days of this year, while only two were recorded over the following 100 days.
"So that tells us right there that we've driven down the amount of violence that's happening," he said.
The police operations, codenamed Operation Orion and Operation Outage, combine criminal investigations with increased police presence in South Asian neighbourhoods to build trust and encourage victims to come forward.
Bell described the release of 15 accused on bail as "concerning". He said decisions on bail rest with the courts after prosecutors argue whether an accused person should remain in custody. He added that bail laws fall under federal jurisdiction and noted that tougher federal bail and sentencing legislation is due to come into force next month.
Bell declined to discuss the specific bail conditions imposed on the accused, saying only that police take compliance seriously. He also said any decision on deportation would rest with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
According to updated CBSA figures released on Thursday, 138 immigration investigations linked to extortion have been opened across the Prairie provinces as of 18 June. Authorities have issued 37 removal orders and deported 18 people from Canada.
Police are also examining possible links between the Calgary investigation and the Bishnoi gang.
"I'm closely monitoring what's happening in other parts of the country. I'm watching what's happened, obviously, in Vancouver with our recent trial where there is a linkage with allegation of connection to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and so we are alive to that," Bell said.
"If we come across any evidence to suggest that, we'll be working with our national security partners as they are considered a terrorist organization."
