BURST
A man has been arrested in India with police there alleging he planned all three shootings at a café in Surrey owned by a popular Indian comedian.
Kap’s Cafe in Surrey has been shot at on three separate occasions, which B.C. police have all linked to extortion attempts , adding to the surge of extortion crimes targeting businesses owned by South Asian Canadians.
Videos have surfaced online showing an individual shooting a gun several times at the exterior of the well-known café owned by Kapil Sharma, an Indian celebrity.
While no one was injured, the repeated firings put the community on edge and demanding justice.
The Delhi police crime branch announced Bandhu Maan Singh Sekhon, 28, was arrested overnight on Nov. 24 in Punjab state and allege he fled Canada for India after Surrey police arrested his associates.
When asked about the arrest at a press conference Friday, John Brewer, an assistant commissioner of the RCMP in B.C., said he does not have specific information on Sekhon or the case.
“We’re working with our federal counterparts and with our counterparts across the country to see if we can link that to any known instances within the Lower Mainland right now,” Brewer said.
While Sekhon was the “key strategist” for the crime, according to the news release from the Delhi deputy commissioner of police for the crime branch, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, other men actually committed the shootings.
The news release said that after “sustained interrogation,” Sekhon confessed to having illegal firearms and his “active role” in the café shootings. The police force in the city of 33 million also allege he was involved in trafficking firearms internationally.
Two men were arrested in that investigation and eight foreign-made semi-automatic pistols and 84 live cartridges were seized. Delhi police said that investigation revealed that one pistol from that consignment had been delivered to Sekhon.
Sekhon first came to Canada in 2023, Delhi police said, and worked at a pharmaceutical company in Brampton, Ont. It was there that he came into contact with the Goldy Dhillon gang and began working for them, the police alleged. Sekhon was also allegedly involved with the Harry Chatha gang.
When asked at the press conference how Sekhon could have fled to India if he was on the radar of Canadian police, federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree echoed Brewer’s point, saying he didn’t have any details on the case.
“I am aware that there was an arrest made of an individual allegedly involved with an act in British Columbia,” Anandasangaree said.
Meanwhile, the B.C. task force on extortion crimes says their successes in combating local crimes are continuing, with another arrest Friday morning.
Dozens of political leaders and police officials met Friday morning to discuss the surge of extortion cases. Just before that meeting, police from the province’s task force searched a property and arrested several individuals for extortion-related crimes.
In a news release Friday afternoon, the B.C. RCMP said a number of items — which were not identified — were also seized.
“While we continue to be cautious about the information shared regarding active and ongoing investigations, we want the communities to know we are making progress,” Brewer said in the news release. “Our investigations are intelligence-led and evidence-based, and we encourage anyone with information about these crimes to report them to your local police.”
The provincial and federal government also announced Friday that police would get $1 million to support victim services. Additionally, Anandasangaree announced $4 million for integrated police teams to target drug trafficking and gang activity south of the Fraser River, stating there is a connection between the extortions and organized crime.