The release of an Indian-origin man, an alleged gangster who was arrested for making extortion calls, has got the Indo-Canadian community concerned. Arundeep Thind, 39, was recently arrested and charged with making extortion threats against South Asian businesses in Canada. Thind posted a chilling message just after his release.
His message ‘Putt bach ke’, right after his release, was aimed at his targets. Brampton City Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor expressed community concern over Arundeep Thind's release.
However, Thind claimed to be innocent. He said police were unfairly portraying him as a high-level gangster.
Thind was one of five individuals of Punjabi origin whose apprehension was disclosed by the Peel Regional Police's extortion task force on February 8. They were accused of various crimes, such as extortion, firearm possession, and fraud.
Thind, charged with extortion related to an alleged incident on January 26, was released on bail after spending two weeks in jail. He has contacted the Canadian media to assert that he is not a "criminal".
In an interview with CTV News, Thind, a music producer, said: "I have family too. I have kids too. My kids are crying, 'Daddy's not a criminal.' You guys (the media and police) showed (my photo) that I'm a criminal. I'm not."
Thind's social media posts featuring a gun were clarified as old footage from a music video shoot, the gun wasn't even real.
Despite admitting to a domestic incident charge, Thind maintains his innocence regarding organised crime and extortion.
Thind stated that he was a 'victim' of these threats. He explained that just before his arrest, his friend, who owns a restaurant in Brampton and was being targeted by the extortionists, gave him a phone number.
Thind called the people harassing his friend and was coerced into going to a car dealership to ask for an extortion payment on their behalf.
"I told them, 'I want nothing more to do with this. You guys speak to each other and leave me out of it. It was then that the police arrived and arrested him," Thind said.
Furthermore, Thind stated that he had neither met nor had any connection with the other four individuals charged by Peel Police, namely Gagan Ajit Singh, Anmoldeep Singh, Hashmeet Kaur, and Iymanjot Kaur.
Thind, walked out soon after his arrest by Canadian police. Not only that, thumbing his nose at the Canadian justice system and sending a warning to his alleged victims, Thind later shared a photo of himself sitting triumphantly in a Peel Regional Police cruiser soon after walking out, posting a chilling message: ‘Putt bach ke’, according to Brampton Updates.
While Thind awaits trial, Brampton City Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor expressed community concern over his release.
He told CTV News, “We definitely need to see some sort of a change in our bail system because it has become a running joke. That sense of public safety is starting to erode.”
Toor said the posts left members of his community even more fearful.
“Given the circumstances, when you put it into context with everything that’s going on, and then you see activity like this, it doesn’t send the right message. Especially when someone is out on bail and claiming they’re innocent. It doesn’t send the right message to the community,” Toor said.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah highlighted the complexity of these crimes, with 29 extortion cases under investigation, including nine involving shootings at South Asian-owned businesses.
The police explained that the targeted businesses, including restaurants, bakeries, trucking companies, car dealerships, and jewelry stores, culprits reach out to their targets through phone calls or social media and coerce them into making payments in cash or transferring money, using either Indian or Canadian currency.
