Ottawa, Jan 28 (IANS) Police in Canada’s Burnaby have said that the recent fatal shooting of an Indian-origin man could be linked to the ongoing gang conflict in the British Columbia (BC) province.
The victim, identified as 28-year-old Dilraj Singh Gill, a Vancouver resident of Indian origin, was reportedly known to law enforcement.
According to the statement by the Canadian Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), on January 22, just before 5:30 p.m., frontline officers from the Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) responded to reports of shots fired near the 3700 block of Canada Way. When police arrived on the scene, they located a male victim, but despite life-saving efforts, the man did not survive.
“Shortly after, officers located a vehicle on fire in the 5000 block of Buxton Street. Investigators worked to determine whether there may be any links to the shooting. Based on initial investigative efforts, police believe the shooting may have been a targetted incident, ” read the statement.
“IHIT is identifying the victim as 28-year-old Dilraj Singh Gill of Vancouver. Mr Gill was known to police, and the shooting appears to have a nexus to the BC Gang conflict, ” it added.
The investigators also said that a vehicle located burning in the 5000 block of Buxton Street is connected to the homicide, and police have been actively working to collect more information about the vehicle.
“Homicide investigators are working closely with the Burnaby RCMP, the Lower Mainland District Integrated Forensic Identification Service (IFIS) and the BC Coroners Service to collect evidence and advance the investigation, ” said Sergeant Freda Fong of IHIT.
“A shooting, especially in a public place, is extremely troubling, not only for the police but for the entire community. Information from witnesses and those in the area will be crucial in ensuring this investigation advances and to hold those responsible, accountable, ” she added
IHIT investigators are seeking witnesses or anyone with dashcam video or CCTV footage recordings in the vicinity to help identify suspects.
Last month, a report had cited that Canada, which right now stands at the crossroads, can either continue treating Khalistani extremism and Punjabi-Canadian gang violence as two different issues or can trace the financial links and acknowledge that they are increasingly interconnected.
It added that enhanced border security, financial intelligence cooperation with trusted partners, and a zero-tolerance approach to laundering of drug money through political or charitable fronts would mark meaningful first steps.
"Canada is home to one of the world's largest Sikh diasporas - nearly eight lakh strong. The overwhelming majority are law-abiding citizens who have enriched the country through trucking, farming, construction and small business. Yet, a small, violent fringe within the Punjabi-Canadian community has, over the past two decades, become deeply entangled with transnational organised crime, ” noted author, cultural critic and filmmaker Vikram Zutshi wrote for NDTV.