January 7, 2026
Brampton
Taranjeet Kaur Ghuman
On January 3, 2025, at around 1:30 a.m., a shooting incident took place at a house in Brampton, which was later found to be related to an extortion attempt. The victim himself, Vikram Sharma, shared his entire ordeal in an interview with 88.9 RED FM.
Vikram said that he came to Canada about 3-4 years ago. Prior to that, he was working in the immigration field in India as well. After coming to Canada, he studied immigration-related courses and about one and a half years ago, he opened his own immigration and education consultancy firm.
He explained that on January 3, when shots were fired at his house, he was asleep at home with his family. He heard gunfire but initially assumed it might be firecrackers, considering it was around the New Year period. However, about half an hour later, police arrived and knocked on his door. That was when he realized that it was indeed a shooting incident and that approximately 7–8 bullets had been fired at his home.
Following this, police and forensic teams arrived at the scene. At first, it was believed that the shooting may have occurred at the wrong address. However, later in the afternoon, at around 1:30 p.m., Vikram received a video from an unknown number showing the shooting at his house. Soon after, he received a phone call in which he was threatened and told that if he did not pay $500,000, he and his family would be killed.
According to Vikram, the number was traced to Kazakhstan, and the caller was speaking Punjabi, with a noticeable Urdu accent at times. He said he was extremely frightened and told the extortionists that he did not even have $50,000, let alone $500,000.
Vikram stated that he uses one single phone number for both personal and professional purposes, and the callers had detailed information about his home, his office, and even his background in India. However, they did not name any gang or organization. He emphasized that he has no personal enmity with anyone, nor does the incident appear to be linked to any client.
He added that his house is on a mortgage, and about six months ago, he purchased a Hummer vehicle. He suspects that after seeing videos of the vehicle on social media, the extortionists may have assumed he was financially well off.
Vikram shared that he and his family, including his wife and their four-month-old daughter are currently living in a state of fear. He was given one day to arrange the money, and when no payment was made, he received 6–7 threatening calls again on January 6, warning him that since he did not pay, the next bullet would be for him.
He said the situation became so frightening that he and his family left their house and car behind and returned to India. Vikram stated that when he asked police about a safety plan, he was advised to change locations, switch off his phone, and cancel his number. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the police response.
According to Vikram, there are many restrictions on police in Canada, which prevent them from taking timely action. As a result, he decided to return to India with his family and said he would not come back until the situation improves.
He concluded by saying that he came to Canada to fulfill his dreams but is now deeply concerned about the safety of himself and his family. He appealed to the government to introduce stricter laws so that Canadians can be provided with a safer environment.
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