Three men arrested after what police alleged was an extortion-related shooting in Surrey over the weekend have been charged, and authorities have released their photos in an attempt to further the investigation. All three are foreign nationals and have been reported to Canada Border Services Agency, according to the Surrey Police Service—which deferred any inquiries about the trio’s immigration status to federal officials. Twenty-one-year-old Harjot Singh, 19-year-old Taranveer Singh, and 21-year-old Dayajeet Singh Billing have each been charged with one count of discharging a firearm into a place, a Monday statement from police said. “SPS hopes that the public release of images of Harjot Singh, Taranveer Singh, and Darajeet Singh Billing prompts additional witnesses, victims, or associates to come forward with relevant information regarding the activities of one or more on the morning of or before Feb. 1, 2026,” the statement from the department said. The three men remain in custody, police added. Officers patrolling the Crescent Beach neighbourhood early Sunday were called for reports shots were fired at a home and a “small fire” had been set outside, according to the SPS. Three men allegedly left the scene in a vehicle, before fleeing on foot and getting into a ride-share vehicle—where they were ultimately arrested. Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, at a news conference, said no firearms were seized when the men were arrested, but that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible. Houghton said he couldn’t provide any specifics on why authorities believe the shooting was extortion-related, but cited conversations investigators have had with both the victims and “the accused themselves.” When asked if the apparent target of the shooting had received threats prior to Sunday, Houghton explained these cases don’t all play out the same way. “There have been times where the shots have come first and the extortion threat part of it comes after. More often than not, it’s the threat that comes first,” he said, adding the amount of time between a threat and violence also does not follow a strict pattern. “There appears to be no regularity to when they receive messages or when some of the violence occurs.” Asked about the facial injuries to the suspects in the photos released by police, Houghton confirmed the men were injured while being arrested. “We have officers who are responding to shooting at a house in a residential area. These are the highest public-safety-related calls that we go to. We don’t know if these individuals are armed with a firearm or not—they’ve clearly shown the ability to use it,” he said. “In this case, the ride-share vehicle that these individuals got into was stopped by police, and one of the individuals failed to comply with the verbal direction from the officers and began to actively resist. And as we are trained, he was taken to the ground and he was safely handcuffed.” That comment pertained to the photo of Harjot Singh, whose picture shows him with two black eyes. Dayajeet Billings’ photo shows a bruise under one eye and an abrasion on the bridge of his nose. Houghton said Billings also “failed to comply” with police commands, and officers “unfortunately had to use a low-level amount of force” during the arrest. Since Jan. 1, police in Surrey have received 46 reports of extortions from 29 victims, and responded to 11 reports of shots fired. The fire outside the residence Sunday is also being investigated as a potential arson, Houghton added. Anyone with information on Sunday’s incident is urged to call 604-599-0502 and quote file 26-10642. Authorities are also reminding the public that a dedicated extortion tip line has been set up and a dedicated reward fund of $250,000 has also been established. Houghton again urged people targeted with threats or violence not to comply with demands for money. “We’ve spoken with many, many people who have told us that they continue to pay, or they know of people who have paid. We strongly discourage the payment, because that will only make these people continue,” he said. “If they know they’re going to get money, they will continue to ask for money and threaten people for money.” RELATED STORIES:
