No one calling will ever be identified or have to go to court

METRO Vancouver Crime Stoppers has begun airing radio spots on some Lower Mainland Punjabi-language radio stations urging anyone with information about the ongoing series of extortion threats targeting local South Asian businesses to anonymously call Crime Stoppers.

The threats have been received in recent months in the Lower Mainland and in other Canadian cities. An RCMP National Coordination and Support Team investigating the threats has issued a public appeal asking anyone contacted not to pay any demanded payments and report the threats to police.

The Crime Stoppers radio ads are in support of the effort by several police departments to gather the information needed to find the criminals behind the written and telephone threats.

“We know people are concerned for their safety, and that’s why we want everyone to know that anyone with information about who’s behind the threats can anonymously give those details to us at Crime Stoppers if they prefer,” says Linda Annis, Executive Director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. “We’re airing these messages in English and Punjabi to encourage people to contact us with any information that can help police put an end to this. No one calling will ever be identified or have to go to court.”