Violent extortion gang linked to Ontario towing turf war; many were on judicial release for other charges when arrested
Another large police probe in southern Ontario was linked to the tow truck industry, this time a large criminal network accused of extortion, fraud, and violence.
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Peel Regional Police said more than $4.2 million in assets were seized and 18 people were arrested, including two men alleged to be the bosses behind a network involved in two streams of criminality: one dedicated to extortion and violence, and the other to systematic fraud through staged car collisions rooted in the towing industry.
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Of the 18 charged, almost half were already on a form of judicial release for previous charges at the time of their arrest.
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Since their most recent arrest, three of the 18 were quickly released with an order to attend court at a later date. Of the 15 who were held in police custody pending a court appearance, seven have had that hearing, where all but one was released on bail. The remainder await a court hearing.
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In 2023 a wave of violent extortions — demands for large sums of money accompanied by threats of violence — targeted members of the South Asian business community in Peel, west and northwest of Toronto encompassing the cities of Mississauga and Brampton.
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'These threats escalated into a variety of different offences including drive-by shootings, arson, a variety of acts of violence that spread fear and insecurity, not just into our local community but it gripped international news,' said Peel's Chief of Police Nishan Duraiappah.
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Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, said the extortions and violence terrified his community.
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'Everyone was scared. They heard about these incidents and there was a real concern that we were only hearing the tip of the iceberg, that there's more and more of these very dangerous extortions happening.'
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The police response led to a task force formed last summer that led to a large probe named Project Outsource.
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The investigation pointed to two Brampton men who are now under arrested. Investigators allege Inderjit Dhami, 38, and Paritosh Chopra, 32, were at the top of the criminal organization's hierarchy.
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'They are charged with instructing the commission of an offense for a criminal organization,' said Peel's Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich. 'What that means is they were in charge of this organization and providing direction to others that were a part of it,' he alleged. 'This was a crime group who attempted to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from our community with threats and also engaged in tow industry related violence and crimes like fraud.'
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