Indian community leader shaken after fear of intimidation at South Auckland home

An Indian community leader was left shaken after a man believed to be a gang member visited his South Auckland home on Wednesday evening and threatened him over an ongoing civil dispute with a tenant of a commercial property.

Davinder Singh Rahal, former chairman of the New Zealand Indian Business Association, was having dinner with his wife at home near Manukau when he heard a knock on the door.

“When we opened the door, I instinctively sensed that the person was a gang member,” Rahal said. “After confirming my identity, he made threats [me] and told me to stay away from my tenant with whom I have a dispute over unpaid debts.

“The person told me I was interrupting their business together and for my well-being I shouldn’t interrupt it. Later I noticed a gang stain on his jacket. He also had one hand hidden behind his back, which made me very nervous and uneasy.

“The man repeatedly said in an aggressive and threatening manner, ‘Stay away for your well-being,’ until my wife took out her phone to record the incident.

“At this point the man ran, jumped over the gate, got into a car and fled with his accomplice driver.”

Davinder Singh Rahal
Photo: Delivered

Out of fear, the couple immediately called the police and filed a report.

Police confirmed they were investigating the complaint.

“Police investigations are ongoing after a threat against a person was reported,” a police spokesman said. “An investigation is underway at this time to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.”

The New Zealand Indian Business Association has since expressed concern about the increasing influence of gangs in New Zealand public life.

“We are very concerned about it [purported] “The involvement of gangs in resolving a dispute between two private parties is prohibited,” the association said in a statement. “There are numerous mechanisms [the] The New Zealand justice system is designed to resolve such disputes.”

Rahal is well known in the Indian community and was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal in 2012 for his services to the community.

He was also a justice of the peace, but abandoned his arrest warrant after the Auckland High Court ordered him to pay almost $1 million in damages to buyers of a property suffering from weather problems that he sold in 2020.

He has appealed the verdict; a hearing is scheduled for 2025.

“If this can happen to someone like me … others are even more vulnerable,” Rahal said.

“If this becomes the norm, people will start hiring gangs to settle personal disputes instead of turning to the justice system.”

“This incident has taken away my independence and forced me to lock myself indoors for fear of going outside. I’m really scared for my life.”