Canadian authorities apprehended three Indian men suspected of involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent pro-Khalistani leader, who was fatally shot in June last year. According to CBC News, the detainees are believed to have ties to the criminal network of Lawrence Bishnoi, an imprisoned gangster in India.
While CBC News suggested that the arrested individuals might be part of an alleged assassination squad sanctioned by the Indian government, Indian officials have consistently refuted such claims. The suspects, identified as Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh, reportedly entered Canada on temporary visas in 2021 and are purportedly associated with Lawrence Bishnoi’s criminal enterprise.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in India previously uncovered connections between Lawrence Bishnoi’s syndicate and pro-Khalistani factions operating internationally. Bishnoi is also implicated in the alleged plot to kill popular singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022, indicating potential inter-gang rivalry between Khalistani groups and the Bishnoi gang.
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The trio apprehended in Canada faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, with Canadian authorities also probing potential links to three other homicides. All three suspects, in their twenties, are Indian nationals residing in Edmonton, identified by Canadian authorities several months prior and kept under close surveillance.
Reports from Canadian media suggest ongoing investigations into the possible involvement of the Indian government in Nijjar’s assassination. Despite assertions by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in September 2023 that such actions were not part of Indian government policy, suspicions persist.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, designated a terrorist by the NIA in 2020, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in a meticulously orchestrated attack involving six assailants and two vehicles.
