Man accused of organizing Edmonton extortions arrested in UAE: sources

The alleged head of a criminal group responsible for extortions, shootings and arsons in Edmonton has been arrested. Nav Sangha has more.

The alleged head of a criminal organization accused of an extortion series targeting South Asian homebuilders in Edmonton has been arrested, multiple sources told CTV News Edmonton.

Maninder Dhaliwal is in custody on separate charges in the United Arab Emirates, more than six months after police issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

Several people have been arrested in connection to Project Gaslight, an extortion series that has resulted in at least 40 incidents, including fires, arson attempts and shootings in Edmonton since 2023.

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Last summer, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) accused Dhaliwal of organizing the extortions from overseas.

“It’s been a significant issue in the community,” former EPS officer and chair of justice studies at NorQuest College Dan Jones said. “Having this individual arrested in the UAE, it shows great cooperation from international law enforcement partners, which is great to see, and it shows the tenacity of the investigators in this one.

“This was nerve-wracking. People’s livelihoods, their businesses, were kind of going through it, and people were afraid to come to the police because of retaliation and repercussions.”

Jones said the next step would be to extradite Dhaliwal, whom he called a “massive flight risk,” to Canada. However, there is no extradition treaty between the two countries.

Kash Heed, British Columbia’s former public safety minister, said the arrest is “very good news.”

Extortion attempts have decreased significantly in B.C. in recent months, Heed told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. EPS has not linked these incidents to ones in other provinces.

Five of six people arrested in connection to Project Gaslight last summer are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.