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Canadian police identify vehicle used by killers of Ripudaman Singh Malik
Ripudaman Singh Malik was once accused of playing a role in the bombing of the Air India flight Kanishka in June 1985 by Khalistani terrorists. However, he was acquitted of all charges in the case in 2005
TORONTO: Police investigating the gangland-style homicide of 75-year-old Ripudaman Singh Malik on Thursday, have identified the vehicle that was used by his killers.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) released a video on Friday of a white Honda vehicle which appeared in the area a little while before where Malik was found shot there.
The video suggested more than one occupant of the vehicle. According to the outlet Vancouver Sun, Malik was fired upon by the killers as he sat in his Tesla in the parking lot, close to the premises of the business he ran, Papillon Eastern Imports.
Investigators have sought assistance from the public if they witnessed anything in the vicinity or had dashcam footage from between 7am and 9am that day. Malik was killed just before 9.30am.
During the course of a press conference on Friday, IHIT’s Sgt David Lee said they understood this was “a high-profile international story” but urged media “not to speculate as to the motive as our homicide investigators will be following the evidence”.
Malik was once accused of playing a role in the bombing of the Air India flight Kanishka in June 1985 by Khalistani terrorists. However, he was acquitted of all charges in the case in 2005. The bombing of Air India flight 182 claimed 329 lives and remains the worst incident of terrorism in the Canadian history.
The IHIT spokesperson said they were ware of his connection to that “incident”, but “at this point with all the evidence”, investigators were “not able to speculate as to motive.”
There was reference to Malik’s recent change of heart with regard to India and his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter written this January.
He also travelled to India in 2019, and then again earlier this summer. He also disavowed the Khalistan movement.
