Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers says it’s taking the “unusual step” of accepting tips from extortion victims amid ongoing threats and violence targeting South Asian businesses in Surrey, B.C., and elsewhere.
Executive director Linda Annis says they’ve received more than 70 extortion-related tips in the past 18 months or so, forwarding them all to police.
Annis says it’s a break from normal practice for the organization to accept tips from crime victims, since those in immediate need of help are usually encouraged to call police directly instead.
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But she says they decided to relax the policy and accept information from targets of extortion, because their information may be valuable to police.
She says Crime Stoppers is urging people with information to come forward if they are scared for their safety and don’t want to be identified in any way.
RCMP in Surrey said this month they had arrested two suspects in their investigation into extortion targeting the South Asian business community.
Last month, B.C. Premier David Eby asked the federal government to declare the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, based in India, a terrorist organization.
Police have linked the gang to some of the extortion threats.