3 Indian nationals arrested in killing of Khalistan separatist Nijjar: Canadian police
Public Lokpal
May 04, 2024
3 Indian nationals arrested in killing of Khalistan separatist Nijjar: Canadian police
Ottawa :Canadian police have arrested three Indian nationals believed by investigators to be members of an alleged hit squad tasked by the government of India with the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last year, police said.
The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.
India has dismissed Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated.”
During the press conference, Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, who leads the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said that the suspects “were not known to the police” before the investigation into Nijjar’s death.
Mooker identified the suspects as Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh and Kamalpreet Singh, all men in their 20s, who were arrested on Friday in Edmonton.
Mooker said all three are Indian nationals and have been living as non-permanent residents in Canada for the last three to five years.
He said coordination with India has been “challenging and rather difficult for the last several years”.
Court documents show Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar are each facing one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to murder in Nijjar’s death.
Nijjar, 45, was gunned down outside his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023. He was a Canadian citizen.
PTI
