Fear, frustration and a call for action filled the Dashmesh Culture Centre Thursday night as Calgary police and provincial officials met with residents grappling with a wave of extortion threats that have shaken parts of the city’s northeast. The town hall brought together Calgary Police Service leaders, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT), Crime Stoppers and Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery, alongside dozens of community members primarily from Calgary’s Punjabi and South Asian communities. Many attendees told CTV News they were seeking a stronger police response and reassurance after reports of threatening phone calls, demands for money and targeted violence. Police confirm investigators are now looking into 21 extortion cases reported in Calgary, including a recent shooting at a Redstone home and other firearms incidents in Taradale. No one was injured, but investigators have said the attacks were targeted and no arrests have been made. Deputy Chief Asif Rashid told attendees the issue is amongst the Calgary Police Service’s top priorities. “It’s our job to reassure the community that we’re taking each and every complaint seriously and working with our partners to bring closure and reassurance to the victims and complainants on these files,” Rashid said. Authorities stressed that solving the problem depends on community members reporting threats, police strengthening outreach and trust and governments pushing for stronger cyber protections and tougher laws. Police also told residents many threats reference the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a terrorist group based in India, but investigators believe many perpetrators are exploiting the gang’s reputation to create fear and pressure victims into paying. Authorities said no arrests have yet been made in Calgary, though arrests have occurred in Surrey and Ontario, and all investigative avenues remain open. Police additionally warned against vigilantism, stressing that confronting extortionists or attempting self-defence can increase risk. Instead, they urged victims to contact police immediately. Police say they are also open to providing crime prevention training, extortion awareness sessions and presentations from hate crime units, while highlighting youth engagement initiatives designed to help young people feel safer interacting with law enforcement. Victim describes shock after extortion call Among those attending was a Calgary man who agreed to speak with CTV News on condition of anonymity, saying he fears for his family’s safety. He said he received an extortion call Thursday morning demanding money within 24 hours, delivered through WhatsApp from an Indian phone number. “They said that I will need to divulge on the money in the next 24 hours, telling me where to go and how to pay and all those things,” he said. The caller also referenced his young son. “They mentioned my younger son, that they have seen him twice,” he said. “He’s a great kid and it was really shocking to me and my entire family.” The man said he immediately contacted police and hired private security for his home, describing the emotional toll the threats have now taken. “You have plan for your kids. And suddenly this thing occurs and everything in your life just stops from there,” he said. The victim went on to urge anyone targeted by an extortion threat to report it rather than paying, but despite living in Calgary for a decade, he said the experience has now changed his perception of safety. “Calgary has a very beautiful crowd, very lovely, friendly people all over,” he said. “But this recently, the wave of this, what is happening with our community is very concerning.” “So positivity on this issue will only come from the action. Once police deliver on some actions that they’re working on, then we will feel safe.” Province announces task force on cyber extortion Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the province is launching a provincially led task force aimed at tackling cyber-based extortion and scam calls. “The task force was born out of the idea that a lot of these calls that were coming in were extorting families and coming from anonymous means,” Amery said. He said the group will include Calgary police, other law enforcement agencies, cybersecurity experts and government representatives. The goal, he added, is to develop a coordinated provincial strategy and improve information sharing. Amery also pointed to the role of telecommunications companies and online platforms. “We know that these calls are coming from a number of sources, including from anonymous phone lines, and we want to work with our telecommunications companies to help find the best ways of addressing those.” He said governments are also working on legislation related to emerging technologies. “The types of AI and deepfake videos that are surfacing online, the types of calls that are coming in, the methods that these scammers and extortionists are employing are becoming more sophisticated with each day.” Amery also emphasized that many of the crimes originate beyond Alberta and sometimes beyond Canada. “The borders do not restrict these scammers from trying to either scam individual Albertans or extort them,” he said. “And so we want to work with our counterparts in other provinces as well.” Community leaders push for dialogue and trust Dashmesh Culture Centre chairman Ranbir Singh Parmar said the meeting itself was organized after families affected by extortion approached the temple seeking help. “They were crying. I could just see the pain on their face, and that’s when we decided to stand up and call for this meeting.” Parmar said the centre contacted police and the justice minister, leading to Thursday’s open forum. “We came up with this idea to have, like a joint meeting, kind of open forum where we can create awareness,” he said, noting some victims have paid extortion demands without reporting them. A recurring theme during the town hall was mistrust between some community members and police, often shaped by negative experiences with law enforcement in countries of origin. Parmar said conversations like Thursday’s are essential. “These kind of a form and dialogue and especially build the trust and the community,” he said. While he personally said he feels safe, Parmar acknowledged others do not. “Some community members, like, especially relatives and friends of the victims, they’re not feeling safe at the moment,” he said. “So, we just need to try to bring community together, along with the police service, so we can have a better communication.” He also encouraged residents to report threats. “I just want to say to the community, please, don’t hide, come forward, report all of these incidents to the police,” Parmar said. “I think, talking to police here, that we know they’re here to serve us.” Attendee says fear is widespread Amanjot Pannu, who attended the town hall, said he was encouraged by the turnout and by the number of agencies present, but said fear remains deeply rooted. “One turning point, which I take out from the meeting is that so many common people, they came here and they shared their concerns,” Pannu said. “This thing shows that there is a fear among community that is underlying.” He said police made a strong effort however to restore public confidence. “Police have tried their level best, bringing it their top level executives who all turned up and and they’re trying to bring in every enforcement agency over here so that people could see, listen and ask to them directly,” he said. Still, Pannu said many residents are changing their daily habits out of concern. “People don’t feel safe because nobody knows when some incident can happen or if they could be targeted in a shooting,” He added some now avoid answering unfamiliar phone numbers altogether.
