Surrey, B.C., man says shootings at his businesses connected to ongoing extortion attempts [Video]

A Surrey, B.C., man says two recent shootings at his businesses are connected to ongoing extortion attempts targeting the South Asian community.

Satish Kumar, the president of the city’s Lakshmi Narayan Mandir temple, said he received video voicemails on May 28 from numbers listed as being from Italy and New Zealand that demanded $2 million.

He said he refused to pay and reported it to police at the time, but officials took no action.

In the early hours of June 7, shots were fired at the banquet hall he owns, he said.

Shots were fired, he said, at another business he’s connected to, Hub Insurance, on Tuesday.

No one was injured in the shootings at the businesses.

He said he’s holding a public forum on Sunday, and announcing a $100,000 reward to encourage the community to help bring an end to the extortion and violence.