TORONTO (The Thursday Times) — Canadian police have arrested 17 individuals linked to an international criminal network known as For Brothers, which allegedly ran a coordinated campaign of extortion, shootings and arsons targeting South Asian business owners across the Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia and California. The Peel Regional Police announced on Monday that the accused face 106 criminal charges connected to 24 incidents, 16 of which were violent, including multiple shootings in which 324 rounds were discharged. Six of the accused face possible removal from Canada following their criminal proceedings.
The investigation began in December 2025 as a Joint Forces Operation involving Peel Regional Police, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Canada’s financial intelligence unit FINTRAC. Targets included restaurants, trucking companies and other businesses in Brampton, Mississauga, Caledon and parts of British Columbia, which were repeatedly targeted after refusing to comply with extortion demands.
In one incident, two of the accused allegedly carried out a shooting and arson at a residential address in Caledon, followed minutes later by a second shooting at a business in Brampton. Investigators seized six firearms, illicit drugs, multiple cell phones, SIM cards and fraudulent identification cards during search warrants executed in April 2026.
“Extortion is not confined to one region but connected both nationally and internationally. Addressing it requires strong cross-border collaboration and intelligence-sharing among agencies.” Chief Nishan Duraiappah, Peel Regional Police · 25 May 2026
Who was arrested
The majority of the 17 accused are young men of Punjabi origin, aged between 21 and 32. Fifteen are based in Ontario or British Columbia. One, Gautam Gautam, 22, is from Manteca, California, reflecting the network’s cross-border reach. The Canada Border Services Agency separately arrested and detained six individuals for immigration-related inadmissibility. Three have already been removed from Canada, two remain in CBSA custody and one has been released on conditions by the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The 17 accused
The following individuals were arrested and charged by Peel Regional Police, as listed in the official press release of 25 May 2026:
Iqbal Singh Bhagria, 25, Brampton, ON Akashdeep Singh, 24, Norval, ON Ravinder Singh, 25, Surrey, BC Jashanbir Singh, 21, Surrey, BC Dilawarpreet Singh, 26, Brampton, ON Mandeep Singh, 21, Brampton, ON Prabhdeep Sohal, 22, Brampton, ON Partapbir Ghuman, 22, Brampton, ON Ajaydeep Singh, 29, Brampton, ON Navroop Singh, 24, Brampton, ON Rajan Singh, 28, Barrie, ON Amritjot Singh, 22, Brampton, ON Jashanpreet Singh, 22, Brampton, ON Guneet Guneet, 27, Brampton, ON Sukhwinder Singh, 32, Brampton, ON Mohinder Singh, 30, Brampton, ON Gautam Gautam, 22, Manteca, CA, United States
A full charge sheet is available on the Peel Regional Police website. All charges are allegations and each accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Indian gang connection
Canada’s financial intelligence agency FINTRAC published a special bulletin in April 2026 directly linking Indian crime syndicates to extortion networks targeting Canada’s South Asian diaspora. The bulletin identified the Lawrence Bishnoi Group, which Canada designated as a listed terrorist entity on 29 September 2025, as operating through a network of enforcers and international associates including collaborators from other Indian crime syndicates who coordinate contract killings and other financially motivated crimes from outside India. The bulletin also identified the Bambiha Gang as a rival network involved in extortion, contract violence and large-scale protection rackets targeting the same diaspora communities.
Canadian authorities have not publicly stated whether For Brothers has direct operational links to these Indian-based networks. However, FINTRAC’s bulletin made clear that extortion networks targeting Canada’s South Asian diaspora frequently have international components with roots in India’s Punjab. The Tribune India, citing the arrests, noted that Canada’s crackdown on organised criminal networks includes groups with links to operations in India.
The wider pattern
Monday’s arrests are part of a broader pattern of organised extortion targeting South Asian diaspora communities in Canada. Since 2023, Peel Regional Police’s Extortion Task Force has laid nearly 500 charges across multiple investigations. A separate case in Calgary in May 2026 saw five Indian-origin men charged with kidnapping and extortion after allegedly abducting a man to extort his friend. Court records from Edmonton show earlier extortion schemes targeting South Asian homebuilders linked to the British Columbia-based Brothers Keepers gang. Chief Duraiappah said the investigation was national and international in scope and that further arrests were anticipated. The Extortion Task Force includes approximately 30 officers and analysts.
