Peel Police arrested five people in connection with a series of "violent extortion incidents."

The police stated that the incidents occurred between December 2023 and May of this year, involving extortion of multiple victims.

The police also alleged that the extortion incidents involved assaulting and threatening victims in the Peel area and other locations in the Greater Toronto Area, adding that there were also reports of firearm discharges.

The recent arrests were made by investigators from the Peel Police Criminal Investigation Unit.

Facing 14 charges related to the investigation are 36-year-old Dupinderdeep Shima from Brampton, 51-year-old Ben Dilon from Brampton, 39-year-old Arundeep Thind, 32-year-old Mustafa Alawiyah from Mississauga, and 32-year-old Kimani Hasakurinas from Mississauga.

Previously, Peel Police had launched a task force last December to investigate several extortion incidents targeting the business community of individuals from South Asia, including an incident where one of the suspects fired at a company in Brampton.

It is unclear whether these arrests are related to the events that led to the formation of the task force.