Man accused of orchestrating Edmonton arson, extortion scheme arrested in United Arab Emirates
CBC
The man accused of orchestrating a string of arsons connected to extortion cases targeting South Asian home builders in Edmonton has been arrested overseas.
Maninder Singh Dhaliwal was apprehended in the United Arab Emirates on separate charges in late 2024, Edmonton police announced Tuesday. An application has been filed to have Dhaliwal extradited to Alberta, said the news release.
Police allege Dhaliwal is the leader of the criminal organization responsible for the series of extortions. The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) investigated 40 related incidents, with the last one — an arson — occurring on July 26.
"This investigation has been a massive effort on the part of EPS investigators, with never-before-seen complexities involving international co-ordination," Insp. Duane Hunter, with the EPS organized crime branch, said in a news release.
"We are very pleased to see it conclude with the request for the extradition of Dhaliwal."
Dhaliwal's extradition could be complicated by the absence of an extradition treaty between Canada and the UAE. A lack of such a treaty means there is no agreement in place that dictates how a person accused of a crime could be transferred from the UAE back to Canada to face trial.
Police issued a Canada-wide warrant for Dhaliwal last July in connection with a rash of extortion incidents that destroyed new or under-construction homes and left the city's South Asian community on edge.
It's the latest in an ongoing investigation known as Project Gaslight, a probe into incidents targeting business owners in Edmonton, alleged to have been carried out by a group of local individuals under direction from India.
Police allege that Dhaliwal, 34, is responsible for orchestrating the crimes from abroad — recruiting people in Edmonton and paying them to deliver threats and light properties on fire when demands for money transfers went unmet.
As of last July, when Dhaliwal's warrant was announced, Edmonton police were investigating 40 crimes related to the spree, including arsons, drive-by shootings and firearms incidents.
The investigation to date has already resulted in a string of arrests.
Last summer, Dhaliwal and six others: four young men, a 17-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman, believed to have been involved in the scheme, were arrested and charged.
A total of 54 charges were laid against them including extortion, arson, intentionally discharging a firearm, break and enter, assault with a weapon, and charges linked to committing a crime for a criminal organization.
Charges against several suspects were also announced last January.
Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof recalls the meeting in Thunder Bay earlier this month. He was part of the nine-day road trip along Highways 11 and 17 with other NDP MPPs.
A bill before the Nova Scotia Legislature is proposing raising the age limit for support for young people who have been in the foster care or group home system to 26.
The Fredericton Police Force has reallocated funds so new staff can be hired this year to better manage evidence after a police error upended murder cases against five people.
One of two pilots killed in a plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport Sunday earned his wings at an Ontario college, CBC News has learned.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.