Canada-wide warrants issued for 19-year-old shooter in Edmonton extortion case

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Edmonton police have issued Canada-wide warrants for a 19-year-old man accused of three drive-by shootings believed to be connected to ongoing extortion attempts.

Police believe the man fled to India after allegedly being involved in three shootings in Edmonton, Sherwood Park and Winnipeg.

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On Tuesday, police said that Arjun Sahnan, 19, is being sought in relation to the shootings.

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“Shots were fired directly at a bedroom window where the homeowners were sleeping. It’s a miracle no one was struck,” said EPS Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart Tuesday.

“In both events, the homeowners were extorted and threatened prior to the shooting.

“What’s concerning about this video is they’re targeting a master bedroom where people are sleeping. Kids are occupying these residences. They don’t know who is in these houses when they start firing rounds into these houses. It’s very brazen and very careless.“

Investigators released a series of images and videos of a drive-by shooting in Winnipeg that is connected to the Edmonton Police Service’s (EPS) Project Gaslight investigation into 34 suspected extortion incidents targeting the Edmonton region’s South Asian community.

On Dec. 21, at 2:50 am in the Cy Becker neighborhood in northeast Edmonton, shots were fired at an upstairs bedroom window where the homeowners were sleeping, police said in a Tuesday news release. Four people, two of whom were children, were asleep in the home at the time of the shooting.

Three days later, at 8:45 pm, Dec. 24. shots were fired at a home in northwest Winnipeg that was occupied by several family members. A bullet traveled through a bedroom, just missing a person inside and passed through a connecting wall into an adjacent occupied room.

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The shooting was captured on security cameras in the area. Police identified the suspect’s vehicle as a black SUV with no front license plate, which is unusual in Manitoba since most vehicles have a front and rear license plate. Police in Winnipeg are asking for information about the vehicle involved in the shooting.

“I strongly urge (Sahnan) to come back to Canada and face his charges. Regardless of whether he complies, we know who he is and fleeing to another country won’t stop us from attempting to locate him,” Stewart said.

“We’re working with our federal and international counterparts and we will continue to pursue an arrest.“

On Dec. 29, at 1:08 am shots were fired at an unoccupied home in the Fountain Creek neighborhood of Sherwood Park. A bullet traveled through the window into a children’s playroom and struck a toy box. Nobody was injured, and the suspect’s vehicle was captured on security cameras in the area.

Through ballistic analysis, police have determined that the same gun was used in all three drive-by shootings.

“It’s our belief that it was the wrong house that was targeted. These individuals sometimes don’t do a very good job in planning out these events, and we believe in this case, we think they just got the wrong house,” Stewart said.

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Stewart said the leader of this extortion ring, who is based in India, has targeted the city’s South Asian community over the last six months with a series of arson and drive-by shootings is worrying, as they’re recruiting young South Asian men to perform these criminal acts.

“What’s so surprising about this investigation is we’re seeing young men being used as pawns for the financial gain of someone else in another country. These individuals are committing foolish crimes and endangering the lives of innocent people,” said Stewart.

“There is an individual orchestrating and directing young men in our city to carry out these acts. In my opinion, they’re being exploited to carry out these acts, and someone not in this country is benefiting from that. The message is clear; If you’re going to carry out one of these acts and work for this individual, understand the consequences that may follow.“

Stewart is adamant that despite the fact that Sahnan has fled the country, they will continue their pursuit in capturing him.

The reason why Canada-wide warrants are in place are because often criminals who flee the country sometimes try to return to a different area of ​​the country.

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If this happens, they will be able to arrest him upon his arrival at any airport in Canada.

“It’s common for individuals to find a different place of hiding, in Canada, so the Canada-wide warrants are (in place) if in fact he does decide to come back and land at an airport, we will be able to execute those warrants “Stewart said.

“I’m going to encourage Arjun to come back and deal with these charges. That said, if he chooses not to, we will work with our international partners to try and locate him.“

Meanwhile, investigators are seeking tips from the public to help identify a second suspect connected to the Winnipeg shooting. The man was recorded on surveillance footage and police released images Tuesday.

On April 24, police executed search warrants and arrested an individual in connection to a drive-by shooting at a residence in the Cy Becker neighborhood in northeast Edmonton on Jan. 10.

No people in the house were struck, but bullets were recovered by investigators inside the home. The suspect’s vehicle has since been identified, police said, but the firearm used in that shooting is still outstanding, and investigators are continuing to try and locate it. Police did not identify the suspect arrested.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact police by emailing [email protected] or 780-391-4279.

[email protected]

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