SURREY, B.C. - The RCMP has charged five people with extortion, arson, firearms and drug offences following a 16-month investigation into a campaign of threats and violence against an auto dealership with locations in Surrey and Langley.
Project E_PURSUANCE, a Joint Force Operation led by Langley RCMP with support from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. and Federal Policing Pacific Region through the B.C. Provincial Extortion Task Force, began in June 2025 after the dealership’s co-owners reported significant extortion demands. The business was then hit by two targeted attacks involving arson and shootings at its Surrey and Langley locations.
On Oct. 1, the B.C. Prosecution Service laid charges against five foreign nationals, all of whom remain in custody:
Sanket Singla, 23, from India, is charged with extortion, two counts of recklessly discharging a firearm, two counts of causing damage by fire or explosion, and throwing an explosive substance with intent to destroy or damage property.
Sahil, 24, of Surrey, is charged with extortion, causing damage by fire or explosion, three counts of unauthorized transfer of a prohibited firearm, three counts of unauthorized transfer of a prohibited device, ammunition or magazine, and two counts of trafficking cocaine.
Simranjeet Singh, 24, of Surrey, is charged with extortion, two counts of recklessly discharging a firearm, two counts of causing damage by fire or explosion, and throwing an explosive substance with intent to destroy or damage property.
Harsh, 21, of Surrey, is charged with extortion, two counts of recklessly discharging a firearm, and causing damage by fire or explosion.
Jagdeep Singh, 24, of Ottawa, is charged with extortion, recklessly discharging a firearm, and causing damage by fire or explosion.
Singla was in India when investigators identified his alleged role. RCMP said investigators, working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP liaison officers abroad, arranged a controlled operation that brought him to Canada. He was arrested on arrival in Toronto on Oct. 1. The other four accused were arrested in Surrey.
The investigation seized four firearms, assorted ammunition and magazines, and suspected fentanyl, cocaine and opium, which police said have been removed from communities.
RCMP said investigators also obtained evidence pointing to the possible involvement of other suspects in extortions and acts of violence in British Columbia and Alberta, and that further charges may be pursued by the police of jurisdiction as those investigations continue.
“I want to sincerely thank the victims for their courage in coming forward,” said Langley RCMP Officer in Charge Supt. Harm Dosange. Chief Supt. Duncan Pound, the Lower Mainland District’s assistant district commander, said the case showed the value of partner agencies pooling resources on complex files.
The arrests land amid a municipal campaign in which extortion targeting South Asian businesses has become a leading public-safety issue in Surrey. The B.C. Conservatives released an anti-extortion action plan in Surrey this week, which Apna News reported on Oct. 15.
The accused are presumed innocent. The charges have not been proven in court.
(Source: RCMP)
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