3 held by Canadian police in Nijjar killing case belong to Bishnoi gang: Report

The three Indians arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Friday (May 3) for the killing of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in British Columbia are part of a hit squad of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, says a CBC News report.

Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar, who were staying in Canada since 2021 on a temporary visa, were arrested in Edmonton and now face murder and conspiracy charges, according to the report.

The police are also actively probing their link to three additional murders, including an 11-year-old son of Harpreet Uppal who was also shot dead on November 9, 2023 in his vehicle in broad daylight in Edmonton. Before them, Sukhdool Singh Gill, 39, alias Sukha Duneke, was also shot dead on September 20, 2023. Sukha Duneke was allegedly a member of the Davinder Bambiha gang in India.

‘It doesn’t end here’

“This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals,” Supt. Mandeep Mooker, the officer in charge of the B.C. RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, was quoted as saying.

Quoting sources, the report said investigators probing Nijjar’s killing had put the three Indians under the scanner after identifying them some months ago.

The police suggested others linked to the killing may be arrested in the days to come.

When asked about the alleged links between the three and the Indian government, Assistant Commissioner David Teboul refused to comment. Teboul, however, stated that they were "investigating connections to the government of India", the report said.

Teboul also did not rule out the presence of Indian “sleeper agents” on Canadian soil.

Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, while congratulating the RCMP for arresting the three Indians linked to the case, said, "The work doesn't end here. In fact, the work continues."

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was gunned down on June 18 evening last year when he came out of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey after prayers.

According to the report, Canadian authorities in August had apprised the representatives of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government about intelligence linking the government to Nijjar’s murder.

Diplomatic row 

A month later on September 18, 2023 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that Canadian security agencies were actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and Nijjar's killing. "Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said.

His allegation led to a fierce diplomatic row between India and his country with the Indian government banning issuance of visas to Canada and scaling down Canadian diplomatic staff on Indian soil.

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar initially dubbed the allegation as absurd even as he accused the country of hosting anti-India elements.

However, his tone and tenor took a less confrontational tinge after the United States alleged involvement of an unnamed Indian government employee in Nijjar’s killing. "We have always maintained that if any country, not just Canada, has a concern and gives us some input or some basis for that concern, we are always open to look at it," Jaishankar said.