CHANDIGARH: A 28-year-old Canada-born Indian-origin Punjabi youth, hailing from Sudhar village in Ludhiana, was shot dead in West Abbotsford in a midday attack at a residence, allegedly in connection with the ongoing gang conflict in British Columbia.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) of the Abbotsford Police identified the victim as Navpreet Dhaliwal, a resident of Abbotsford. Police were called to reports of shots fired in the 3200 block of Siskin Drive at about 12.38 pm. He was found inside the house with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts by paramedics to revive him.
A statement issued by the Abbotsford Police on January 9 said that at approximately 12.38 pm, Abbotsford Police Patrol officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 3200 block of Siskin Drive.
“Upon arrival, officers secured the scene and confirmed the incident was contained to a single residence. Inside, they located a man with life-threatening injuries. Despite the urgent lifesaving efforts of first responders, the man succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” it added.
Police confirmed that the killing was linked to the gang conflict in British Columbia but said it was not related to the recent extortion-related violence directed at South Asian communities.
Video canvassing in the area is being conducted, but no arrests had been made as of January 12. The public has been appealed to for any dashcam or CCTV footage from the area of Blue Jay Street and Siskin Drive between 11 am and 1 pm on January 9.
The statement read, “The investigation remains in its early stages, with additional resources deployed to support ongoing efforts. AbbyPD confirms this was a targeted incident linked to the BC Gang Conflict and is not related to extortion.”
“The Abbotsford Police Department’s Major Crime Unit is transitioning the investigation to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), which will be providing further updates as the investigation advances,” it stated.
Gangster Dony Bal, who had earlier claimed responsibility for the murders of Kabaddi promoter Rana Balachaur and sarpanch Jarmal Singh, has reportedly taken responsibility for allegedly shooting Navpreet. In a social media post, Dony Bal and Mohabbat Randhawa claimed responsibility, alleging that Navpreet was preparing to kill them in Surrey and would have harmed them if they had not acted first.
According to Abbotsford Police, Navpreet had previously been on law enforcement’s radar and had been linked to the BC gang conflict. His name had also surfaced during a large-scale drug trafficking investigation launched by the Abbotsford Police Drug Enforcement Unit in 2022, as he allegedly had involvement in drug trafficking and violent crime. He, along with Anmol Sandhu, was arrested in 2024 and charged with two counts each of conspiracy to commit murder, along with firearms and drug trafficking offences, and was later released under conditions restricting his movement and social media use.
It is learnt that Navpreet’s father, Gurjinder Singh Dhaliwal, had moved to Canada in 1995, two years before his birth. On the day of the shooting, Navpreet and his mother were at home.