Canadian police said Thursday they are investigating allegations that two centers in the Montreal area are being used as China-backed “police stations” to intimidate or harass Chinese Canadians, Reuters reported.

The investigation comes amid mounting allegations of Chinese interference in Canada’s domestic affairs, including accusations by Ottawa that Beijing tried to influence the last two rounds of Canadian elections. China denies these allegations.

“We are conducting police operations to identify and stop this foreign-sponsored criminal activity that may threaten the safety of people living in Canada,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Quebec said in a statement.

Countries such as the United States and the Netherlands have launched similar investigations after a September report by Safeguard Defenders, a European rights group, detailed the presence of dozens of Chinese police “duty stations” in major cities around the world.

In November, the RCMP also launched an investigation into similar reports of Chinese “police stations” in the Toronto area. Ontario RCMP did not respond Thursday to a request for information about that investigation.

The deputy commissioner of the Royal Constabulary, Michael Duham, told a parliamentary committee last week that the agency had “undertaken an overt action” that led to the suspension of operations at four alleged police stations in China.

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment. It was previously reported that there are centers outside of China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police, that aim to help Chinese citizens restore documents and provide other services during the COVID-19 pandemic.