RED FM News Desk
An extortion plot targeting South Asian homebuilders in Edmonton has been linked to the Brothers Keepers gang, a British Columbia-based criminal organization, according to court documents obtained by CBC News.
The connection came to light after one of the individuals charged in the Edmonton Police Service’s Project Gaslight investigation pleaded guilty last month. The agreed statement of facts provides the first in-depth look into the coordinated network responsible for threats and arsons that left business owners fearful for months. It also confirms that Harpreet Uppal — who was fatally shot alongside his 11-year-old son in 2023 — played a role in the extortion scheme. Court records state that Uppal was a member of the Brothers Keepers gang, which the B.C. RCMP describes as “prominent and violent.” He was also a close associate of Maninder Dhaliwal, who is alleged to have directed the extortion and arson attacks from abroad.
In July 2024, Edmonton police arrested several alleged members of the group. One of them, 19-year-old Divnoor Singh Asht, pleaded guilty on May 23 to three charges: arson, extortion, and conspiracy to commit extortion.
Asht admitted to helping coordinate and instruct lower-level members of the group to carry out the crimes, under the guidance of Dhaliwal and Uppal before the latter’s death. The remaining accused — Gurkaran Singh, Manav Heer, Parminder Singh, and a 17-year-old whose name is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — are still before the courts, and none of the charges against them have yet been proven.
A 19-year-old woman was also arrested during Project Gaslight, though charges against her were stayed in March. Dhaliwal was apprehended in the United Arab Emirates late last year on unrelated charges. He has not yet been prosecuted, but an extradition request is in place to return him to Canada.
Uppal, 41, was shot and killed at a gas station in south Edmonton on November 10, 2023. No arrests have been made in the double homicide. According to court records, Uppal had been involved from the early stages of a scheme in which successful Edmonton developers were sent threatening messages demanding large amounts of money.
Those who refused to comply often saw their properties set on fire — and in some cases, experienced gunfire outside their homes. Court documents report that fires at the homes of three targeted builders in October and November 2023 caused an estimated $4 million in damage.
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