Three Indians arrested in Nijjar's murder case

Ottawa/New York: Canadian authorities, who arrested three Indian nationals in connection with the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, have said that their investigation has not concluded and "others" who played a role in the homicide would also be arrested. Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Friday said they are investigating if the Indian government was involved in the killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. The three are believed to be members of an alleged hit squad tasked by the government of India with the killing of Nijjar, 45, outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. “The investigation does not end here. We are aware that there are others out there that played a role in this homicide and we remain dedicated to identifying and arresting each one of them,” Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, Officer in Charge of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said.

The three men were arrested for the murder of Nijjar Friday morning by IHIT investigators, with the assistance of members from the British Columbia and Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Edmonton Police Service. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said they are not able to make any comments about the nature of the evidence collected by police nor “can we speak about the motive” behind Nijjar's murder.

When asked whether there are any Indian "sleeper agents" in Canada, Teboul said he could not say more because the issue is "very much at the centre of evidence and ongoing investigations", CBC News reported. Asked whether the public should consider the men to have been "guns for hire," police said more information would come out in court, it said.

“However, understanding this situation has attracted considerable and very broad public interest, I will say this matter is still very much under active investigation.