A 27-year-old man of Punjabi origin was arrested and charged in Surrey, Canada after a shooting incident that police say is linked to ongoing extortion-related violence in the region.The accused was identified as Jaskaran Saroye and was taken into custody by the Surrey Police Service Extortion Response Team following the execution of a search warrant at a residential property in the city.According to police, the incident took place shortly before 3 am on April 13 near 94A Avenue and 127 Street, when gunshots were fired at an occupied home. The house was damaged, but no one was injured.In a statement, Surrey Police said investigators were able to identify a suspect vehicle, which led to further enquiries and ultimately a court-approved warrant. The arrest was carried out with assistance from the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team and other SPS units.Saroye has been charged with discharging a firearm into a place while knowing, or being reckless as to whether, someone was present inside. He remains in custody and is scheduled for a bail hearing.Surrey Police Chief Constable Norm Lipinski described the incident as serious, warning about the dangers posed by such attacks.Lipinski called the shooting an “extremely serious offence” and said incidents involving gunfire into occupied homes pose a major threat to public safety.Police have also released Saroye’s photograph publicly, saying it may help identify others linked to suspected extortion networks operating in the area. Surrey has seen a rise in extortion-related violence in recent years, with members of the South Asian community, particularly those of Indian origin, often being targeted, according to the Indian Panorama.
