Surrey Business Owner Demands Action as Extortion Threats Escalate into Gun Violence

A prominent Surrey, B.C., business owner is sounding the alarm on a wave of extortion and violence targeting South Asian entrepreneurs, saying the attacks have now reached a critical point.

Satish Kumar, president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Temple and owner of Reflections Banquet Hall, says his businesses — including Hub Insurance — have been shot at three times in recent weeks.

The latest shooting occurred early Saturday outside a strip mall at 128th Street and 80th Avenue. Kumar says he had already reported threatening video voicemails demanding $2 million, but despite going to police, little progress has been made.

“What should I do?” Kumar asked at a public safety forum he hosted Sunday in Surrey. “We’ve already taken damage. Now we’re spending on more security to simply stay safe.”

Community Under Siege

The event brought together local business owners, police, and elected officials, as the community grapples with an unsettling trend: South Asian-owned businesses being threatened, extorted, and shot at, often by individuals with no clear ties to the victims.

Last week, an Abbotsford man was shot and killed in his Surrey office. Police say there’s no apparent link to ongoing cases, but fear is spreading fast.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said residents are contacting her office daily.

“It has become a crime in Surrey to do well in your business,” Locke said. “People are scared. Families are moving away.”

She called on the provincial and federal governments to step in:
“This is not just a local issue. This is a provincial and federal crisis.”

Police Step Up — But Face Complex Threats

Surrey Police Chief Norm Lipinski said a dedicated extortion investigations unit has now been launched, focused on hot spots like Newton and Whalley, alongside increased patrols and surveillance.

“These are complex, often transnational investigations,” Lipinski said, noting similar cases across Alberta and Ontario, where South Asian communities are being threatened through calls, messages, or social media.

The RCMP has formed a national task force to tackle the surge in coordinated extortion attempts. Still, Lipinski acknowledged that many victims remain silent out of fear — something he hopes to change.

“Even if it’s anonymous, we urge people to report these threats,” he said.

$100,000 Reward and a Plea for Help

Kumar says he’s doing everything he can to raise awareness — and is now offering a $100,000 reward for any information that leads to arrests in any of the Surrey extortion cases.

“I don’t know what the outcome will be,” he said. “But the community deserves to be safe. And we need to act — now.”