TORONTO, June 17: Eighteen people, most of them believed to be of Indian-origin, have been arrested and assets worth over 4.2 million Canadian dollars seized after police dismantled an organised criminal network linked to the towing industry in Canada’s Ontario province, officials said.
The arrests were made by Peel Regional Police as part of a Joint Force Operation with local and provincial law enforcement partners, it said in a press release on Monday.
“More than $4.2 million in assets” were recovered from the possession of the 18 accused, following the dismantling of an organised criminal network linked to the towing industry”, the release said.
Although the release did not mention the nationalities of the accused, the names suggest that most of them are of Indian-origin.
As of June 10, Haleh Javady Torabi, a 37-year-old woman from King City, and 17 men from Brampton have been arrested and charged in connection with the investigation, police said.
The men were identified as Inderjit Dhami, 38; Paritosh Chopra, 32; Gurbinder Singh, 28; Kulwinder Puri, 25; Parminder Puri, 31; Inderjit Bal, 29; Varun Aul, 31; Ketan Chopra, 30; Norman Tazehkand, 32; Pawandeep Singh, 25; Dipanshu Garg, 24; Rahul Verma, 27; Karan Boparai, 26; Mankirat Boparai, 22; Simar Boparai, 21; Jovan Singh, 23; and Abhinav Bhardwaj, 25.
The accused face a total of 97 criminal charges related to criminal organisation, extortion, fraud, firearms, and more, police said.
“Three individuals were charged and released to attend court at a later date, while 15 were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. Of the 18, almost half were on a form of judicial release at the time of arrest,” it said.
In July 2024, Project Outsource was launched to investigate a criminal organisation believed to be behind a significant number of extortion incidents and related acts of violence. As the investigation progressed, it became clear that the criminal network operated with two distinct but interconnected components: one dedicated to extortion and violence, and the other rooted in the towing industry, the release said.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said, “Nearly half of those arrested were already on some form of judicial release at the time – once again raising serious concerns about repeat offenders and the urgent need for bail reform.”
Several suspects were found to be associated with towing companies operating under the names Certified Roadside and Humble Roadside. Investigators uncovered evidence that these individuals were engaged in insurance fraud by staging vehicle collisions and using threats, assaults, and firearms to exert control over local towing operations.
“The success of Project Outsource sends a clear message: criminal organisations that use violence, fear, and fraud to prey on our communities will be identified, investigated, and dismantled,” Michael S Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario, said.
Project Outsource was a Joint Forces Operation with Peel Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Halton Regional Police, York Regional Police, and Toronto Police Service.
“In recent years, Peel Region has experienced a sharp rise in violent extortion attempts targeting South Asian business owners, including demands for large sums of money, threats for non-payment, and acts of violence, including drive-by shootings. In response to these incidents, Peel Regional Police established the Extortion Investigation Task Force in December 2023,” the release said.
York Regional Police Superintendent Sony Dosanjh said joint force operations, such as Project Outsource, are a reminder that collaborative efforts among agencies are crucial and effective in dismantling criminal organisations and restoring community safety and trust. (PTI)
