Criminal networks using Indian students to extort South Asian diaspora
Canada's financial crimes agency has generated more than 100 financial intelligence disclosures related to extortion this year alone, double what was recorded over 2024 and 2025 combined.
Canada’s financial intelligence agency, also known as FINTRAC, has uncovered a ring of criminal networks that are using international students from India to extort the country’s South Asian diaspora.
“Extortion targeting South Asian communities in Canada has evolved from sporadic threats into a sustained campaign of coercion that blends intimidation, opportunistic violence, and trans provincial coordination, with notable concentrations in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario,” wrote the agency in a newly released Special Bulletin.
