Indian-origin businessman in Canada targeted in violent extortion attempt

An Indian national living in Canada has reported a disturbing extortion attempt after his home was targeted in a shooting while he and his family were inside, according to local media reports.

Local media reported that the man, who moved to Canada three years ago and runs an immigration and education consultancy, requested anonymity for security reasons. Multiple shots were fired at his Brampton home last weekend as he, his wife and their child were present. He has lodged a police complaint.

A day after the shooting, the man received a video on his phone showing footage of the attack. It looked as if someone recorded the video from inside a car while the shooter was targeting his house. The extortionists later demanded C$500,000 and gave him 24 hours to arrange the money, threatening to kill his family if he failed to comply.

“First they sent me the video, and then they called me,” the man told a media house, adding that he informed the callers he did not have the demanded amount. He said he was then told, “We will kill your family.”

Footage from a neighbour’s security camera also captured the incident. Police said at least eight shots were fired, with bullets striking vehicles parked in the driveway and damaging the garage door.

The man said he has left the family home near Sandalwood Parkway and Creditview Road and has no intention of returning to the address. While police records suggest that such extortion tactics are not new in the area, he said he had no idea why he was targeted.

Peel Regional Police confirmed that no suspect details have been released so far. The case is being investigated by the Extortion Investigations Task Force, which was established in 2024 amid a rise in extortion cases targeting members of the South Asian business community.

More than 400 extortion cases were reported in the region last year. 

In December, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wrote to the federal government seeking assistance to tackle what he described as the “escalating threat of extortion and transnational organised crime”. “Without federal support”, he warned, “communities such as Brampton remain vulnerable to criminal networks that operate internationally, exploit digital platforms and use intimidation to silence victims.”