For years, some Central Valley residents have been terrorized by a transnational crime network with threats of violence and extortion. But for those outside the Indian and Punjabi Sikh communities, this campaign of fear has remained largely invisible, writes Gagandeep Singh for CalMatters.
In May 2024 the FBI Sacramento field office began urging members of Central Valley’s Indian community to report gang-related shakedowns. California is home to over 250,000 Sikhs, the most of any state, and many of them keep strong ties to India.
The shakedowns often involve gang members connected with criminal networks in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi and Rajasthan. They contact a victim — usually someone who is well-off or has a lot of assets, such as a real estate developer or a local businessman — and demand money. If the victim refuses, the gangs threaten or carry out attacks against their relatives, families or businesses in the U.S. or in India…