Two Punjab men shot dead in ‘targeted’ attack in Canada

TOronto/Bathinda: ii men from Punjab were allegedly crack deadened by unidentified people in the canadian river urban center of Edmonton early on Friday (eastern time), prompting the local police unit to launch a probe into what they suspected was a “targeted” attack, the Edmonton Police Service said in a release.The deceased have been identified as Gurdeep Singh (27) from Barre and Ranvir Singh (19) from Uddat Saidewala villages in Punjab’s Mansa district. Both had gone to Canada at different times in the last two years.In a statement, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said that its officers responded to reports of gunshots in the south-eastern part of the city in Alberta province in the early hours of Friday. On arriving at the spot, they “located two males believed to be in their 20s suffering from gunshot wounds,” the EPS said, adding that its officers attempted lifesaving measures until an emergency medical team arrived and assumed care.“Sadly, both men were pronounced dead at the scene,” the release said.The EPS homicide section has assumed charge of the investigation and the autopsies of the two deceased are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, it said.Police are looking for a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that may have been in the area at the time of the incident. Investigators have urged people for dashcam footage from the area between 2pm on Thursday and 2.30 am on Friday (both Canadian time), the EPS said.“Police believe this to be a targeted event. The investigation is ongoing,” the release said.Gurdeep, who had gone to Canada in 2023, was waiting for work permit after completing his studies, while Ranvir had gone to the North American country last year for his studies hoping to land an employment opportunity in the United States, their families said.Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on the two villages in Budhlada subdivision of the district following the news of the death of the two youngsters. Their families said the two had never raised any suspicion of threat to their lives.Gurdeep’s family suspect the crime was a case of mistaken identity, as the SUV in which they collapsed belonged to another Punjabi youth and that they had just entered the vehicle when the assailants opened several rounds of fire.Ranvir’s uncle Manpreet Singh said that his nephew had flown from Bramptom to Calgary for a counselling session for a job in accountancy in the US.“Ranvir was staying with his eldest uncle’s son and another relative in Bramptom. After attending a job counselling exercise on December 10, one of his friends in Calgary invited Ranvir to join a birthday party in Edmonton. Ranvir’s friends told us that as soon as he occupied the driver’s seat of an SUV owned by an associate of Ranvir’s friend, he was shot dead in Edmonton,” the uncle told HT over the phone from his native village on Sunday.Ranvir was a bright commerce student back home, and he was enrolled in a course in accountancy.“Ranvir was the only son of my elder brother and the entire family is in a state of shock. We have learnt that the Canadian police are investigating the case and we are looking for justice,” Manpreet added.Gurdeep is survived by his wife Amandeep Kaur and parents.Gurdeep had gone to Canada in 2023 and was looking for his wife to join him there soon, his uncle Darshan Singh said.“We have a joint family, and my son Arshdeep Singh joined Gurdeep last year. After completing a course in truck mechanics, he was working to apply for a job visa. He had attained expertise in the profession, but the unfortunate event had shattered the family,” Darshan said.Gurdeep got married to Amandeep in March 2020.“Amandeep was scheduled to go to Canada on a student visa but the programme was shelved due to restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Later, Gurdeep worked hard to get a study visa with a plan to settle abroad with his wife,” Darshan added.