Three 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."

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said that three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of Sikh activist Nijjar.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, he said that in addition to the murder case, separate investigations are looking into possible connections to the Government of India, The Toronto Star newspaper reported.

Teboul stressed that the murder remains "very much under active investigation," CTV News reported.

"There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today, and these efforts include investigating connections to the government of India," he was quoted as saying by the news channel.

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".

Mooker said that his investigation has relied on the Sikh community's support.

"We would not be at this point without the bravery and courage of the Sikh community coming forward with information for this investigation," he said, adding that he believes they will continue to come forward for any future investigations, according to the report.

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.

Citing sources, a report in Global News said that the suspects had entered Canada on “student visas but may have been working at the direction of Indian intelligence when they shot Nijjar.”

According to court records, Brar has been charged with a murder that occurred in Surrey on June 18, 2023. He also faces a charge of conspiracy to murder on May 1, 2023, in Edmonton and Surrey, the report said.  | PTI