Canadian police have arrested a fourth Indian national in connection with the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in British Columbia last June.
According to British Columbia’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), 22-year-old Amandeep Singh was already in Peel Regional Police custody in Ontario on unrelated shooting charges.
British Columbia’s Prosecution Service charged Amandeep Singh with first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder, the Canadian Press reported, citing an IHID report that led to insufficient evidence for their investigation.
The accused, identified as an Indian national, has lived in Brampton, Ontario, Surrey and Abbotsford, British Columbia.
IHID said that due to ongoing investigations and legal proceedings, further details regarding the arrest cannot be released at this time.
Earlier arrests included three Indian nationals, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, who were arrested in Edmonton and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Nijjar’s death.
The incidents have prompted scrutiny of Canada’s international student admissions process, particularly after revelations in 2019 about a video featuring Karan Brar released by an India-based immigration consultancy. In the video, a study permit was shown with a photograph indicating the arrival of his study visa.
When questioned about the immigration status of the suspects, Canada’s Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship declined to comment, citing ongoing investigations and the confidentiality of individual cases.
