Mayor of Caledon, Ont., joins calls for feds to tackle extortion cases linked to international organized crime

When Dharmjit Mand’s Caledon, Ont., home and farm were shot at on Nov. 25, 2025, he thought moving his family to his brother’s house would keep them safe. 

But on Dec. 11, bullets pierced through the garage and windows.

No one was hurt during the shootings, which Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are still investigating, but Mand said it all started with a series of WhatsApp texts and calls in October.

A man claiming to be part of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang demanded Mand pay him $2 million. When he didn't, Mand says the man started threatening him.

After the Nov. 25 shooting, the man sent him a video, reviewed by CBC News, appearing to show his farm getting shot. After the Dec. 11 shooting, the man told Mand the next target would be his head.

“We cannot sleep,” Mand said.

The Bishnoi gang, which has roots in India and was declared a terrorist organization by the Canadian government last year, has been accused of targeting South Asian residents in incidents that have made headlines in B.C., Brampton, and now Caledon. 

There were at least 41 incidents of extortion in Caledon since December 2023 that appear to share a similar pattern, per the OPP, though it's not clear how many of them are specifically tied to the Bishnoi gang.

Victims would receive calls and messages threatening violence unless victims pay a ransom, with the perpetrators often knowing where they live or work, the police force said in a release detailing the issue.

Caledon's mayor says the town doesn’t have enough resources to tackle the issue and wants the federal government to step in.

“I am asking the federal government to act and support efforts to help end this international extortion activity,” Mayor Annette Groves wrote in a letter addressed to the prime minister and the minister of public safety dated Dec. 23. 

Fourteen reported shootings were linked with the extortion cases in Caledon, OPP spokesperson Jesse Nobleman told CBC News in a statement, noting the OPP has arrested five people so far, while more investigations are ongoing. 

The latest incident happened Tuesday, with Groves telling CBC News a business that was shot at has been targeted multiple times in recent weeks. She says the province pitched in roughly $70,000 to install CCTV cameras at incident “hotspots” this past fall to help police catch the shooters. 

“This has gotten out of hand,” she said. “Local municipalities need more police officers.”