Suspect in B.C. extortion case is arrested and charged in California

LANGLEY — A man accused of being involved in an extortion investigation in British Columbia has been arrested and charged in California.

RCMP say 30-year-old Jasmeet Singh is alleged to have made threatening phone calls to a victim in Langley, B.C.

Mounties say they tracked down the man in Fresno, Calif., and reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to further the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in California says a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Singh, an Indian national, charging him with transmitting threats to injure a person.

The office says in a statement that Singh allegedly threatened to kill the Canadian victim because of their “prior co-operation with Indian law enforcement.”

The statement says Singh is alleged to have sent the victim a photo of their car in front of their home, and said that he knew the person’s daily habits, down to the type of coffee they drank, and that trying to run would get them killed.

A Langley RCMP spokesperson says Canadian investigators are working with the FBI to determine “the extent to which Jasmeet Singh is connected” to ongoing extortion investigations in Canada.

Canada’s South Asian community has been targeted by a wave of extortion threats, and some have been linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi crime group based in India.

U.S. authorities say Singh is being held in custody while awaiting trial.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a US$250,000 fine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025.

The Canadian Press