Two foreign nationals arrested in Surrey, B.C., in extortion shooting

Two foreign nationals have been arrested in connection to extortion violence in Surrey, B.C., where there has been a spike in shootings at homes and businesses this year.

Police say 22-year-old Damanjeet Singh and 30-year-old Pardaman Singh were arrested after officers, including the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team and Canada Border Services Agency, served a search warrant on a home in Surrey.

Police say they tracked down the address and made the arrests after investigators identified a suspect vehicle in a shooting that happened on April 22 in the city. 

Shots were fired at the home in the overnight hours, damaging the building's exterior, although no one inside was injured.

Both men arrested in the case were charged with possessing and discharging a firearm, and their next court appearance is set for later this month. 

The latest figures from Surrey police say there have been 98 reported cases of extortion in the city and 16 cases of shots fired, in a city among Canada's hardest hit by such violence that is targeting the South Asian community.

Canada Border Services said Tuesday that it had opened 446 immigration investigations into foreign nations suspected of being involved or linked to extortion across the country as of May 7. 

It said it had issued 118 removal orders and 55 of those had been enforced.