Bollywood star’s Surrey café shot at for third time

For the third time since July, a Surrey café owned by Indian entertainment star Kapil Sharma was made the target of gunfire overnight.

The Surrey Police Service (SPS) is investigating after receiving reports of “numerous” shots fired at the business on 120 Street and 85 Avenue Thursday, around 3:45 a.m.

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Bullets struck the building in the early morning hours on July 10 — a week after it originally opened — and then again less than a month later on Aug. 7.

In the Aug. 7 incident, the SPS also discovered what looked like a Molotov cocktail outside. Images from the scene showed what appears to be a glass bottle, full of liquid, with a rag hanging from the top.

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Employees have reportedly been inside the restaurant during all three attacks. No one has been physically injured, including during Thursday morning’s shooting.

The business reopened its doors on Oct. 2, with an SPS vehicle and mobile CCTV station positioned outside at the time.

Ian MacDonald speaks for the SPS and tells 1130 NewsRadio that police have been in ongoing discussions with the owners about how to handle the violence, including the potential of closing the café for good.

“I don’t believe it’s an easy decision on the part of ownership, whether to close the business… And I hate to say it, but obviously [Thursday]’s incident might influence that.”

Police believe the latest incident is also connected to the ongoing rise in extortion-related crimes south of the Fraser. So far this year, there have been 65 extortion-related incidents, 35 of which involved shootings.

MacDonald says the SPS increased patrols around the café back in July.

Video of the latest shooting has surfaced on social media — as it did following the previous two.

“If we’re talking specifically about this business, video, regrettably, has been a part of that playbook,” said MacDonald.

He addressed international reports that the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang had taken responsibility for the shots fired, saying those remain “unverified claims.”

“If we can verify those claims, then obviously that becomes an investigative path. But short of that, they are just that. They are claims that have to be substantiated through police investigation.”

Kap’s Café will likely remain closed for the day, with investigators expected at the scene for several hours, gathering evidence and speaking to witnesses.

As for the general public, MacDonald acknowledges people’s concerns, given that the café is in such a busy area.

“We understand the fear. At this point, what we can say is we have dedicated Surrey Police Service officers and our own task force working extortion, as well as working with our provincial partners and the provincial task force, looking at extortions that are across jurisdiction. The leverage that these extortionists are using is fear, and fear in the community, as a way to extract funds. So, what we need is to collaborate more with the community.”

The SPS says so far it has spoken to more than 1,000 businesses in the city to talk about crime and is hopeful that rapport will lead to more information about the extortion crimes.

Last month, Surrey’s mayor announced that the city had set aside a $250,000 reward fund for information leading to convictions.

Anyone with information about extortion-related cases is asked to call the Surrey Extortion Tip Line at 236-485-5149. The line is monitored by SPS officers seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Punjab-speaking officers are also available, if needed.