Canadian police nabbed three Indian nationals suspected of being part of an alleged hit squad commissioned by the Indian government to assassinate Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last year, according to news agency PTI, citing law enforcement officials in the country.
It should be mentioned that the arrest follows a tense relationship between India and Canada, which was exacerbated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s charges last September, implying possible Indian complicity in Nijjar’s death.
India quickly slammed Trudeau’s allegations as false and politically motivated. Assistant Commissioner David Teboul of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has announced the arrest of three people charged with the murder of Sikh activist Nijjar.
During a press conference, Teboul stated that there are ongoing investigations into potential connections with the Indian government, emphasising the murder’s ongoing probe.
“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 is cited as saying by the CTV News news channel.
Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, who heads the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, stated that the suspects were previously unknown to law enforcement. Mooker identified them as Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh, and Kamalpreet Singh, all in their twenties, and stated they were arrested in Edmonton.
