THE BC RCMP announced on Monday that as a result of a series of investigative steps taken by the BC Extortion Task Force, evidence gathered to date has led to Crown Counsel approving one charge against a suspect for his alleged involvement in a shooting that took place in November in Surrey.
The BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of unlawfully discharging a firearm against 21-year-old Avtar Singh.
Just four days after a South Asian businessman’s residence in the 17000-block of 32 Avenue in Surrey was targeted in an extortion-related shooting, it was shot at for the second time at approximately 7:35 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12.
RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit (SPOSU) officers responded to calls of possible shots fired at the residence. Officers from the Surrey Police Service (SPS) also attended.
The BC Extortion Task Force assumed conduct of these investigations while working closely with policing and law enforcement partners and has continued to advance the investigation. This investigation series involved one primary victim and several incidents related to them, police said.
Singh was arrested on December 5 and is in custody. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on December 10.
While a charge has been laid against one suspect, the investigation remains active and ongoing. RCMP are asking anyone with additional information to contact their local police of jurisdiction as this could be important to support the investigation.
“The BC Extortion Task Force has been working hard to advance investigations and secure charges,” said BC RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer. “While this charge approval signifies a strong step forward, please know that we are not done. Through our evidence-based investigations and strategic, intelligence-led operations we are committed to pursuing those who commit violent acts and are involved in extortions to hold them accountable.”
The BC RCMP said they would like to emphasize that each investigation is approached with a well-established framework to gather evidence and follow that evidence in a disciplined and thorough manner. The Task Force continues to work with its partners at the local, provincial and federal levels to ensure communication and coordination of relevant intelligence while maintaining independent investigations. Task Force investigators are actively working to determine if this file has any evidentiary links to other ongoing investigations.
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