The Indo-Canadian victim of a homicide that occurred on Saturday was possibly linked to the ongoing gang war in the province of British Columbia.
The British Columbia detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP identified the deceased as 28-year-old Navpreet Dhaliwal.
On January 9, officers from the Abbotsford Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at a residence and located the victim at the scene. He was suffering from serious injuries and succumbed despite life-saving efforts by emergency services.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT took charge of the investigation. In a release, BC RCMP said, “Initial information and investigative efforts indicate that this shooting was a targeted event, linked to the ongoing BC gang conflict.”
Dhaliwal was “known” to law enforcement after having been arrested on various charges in the past and was on bail at the time of the murder. “This was a targeted and brazen shooting that took place in the middle of the day,” IHIT Corporal Esther Tupper said.
In late 2022, Abbotsford Police initiated a large-scale drug trafficking investigation focusing on the activities of two residents of the town, Dhaliwal and Anmol Sandhu. “Both men are connected to the ongoing BC Gang Conflict and present a significant public safety risk,” a 2024 release stated.
{{/usCountry}}In late 2022, Abbotsford Police initiated a large-scale drug trafficking investigation focusing on the activities of two residents of the town, Dhaliwal and Anmol Sandhu. “Both men are connected to the ongoing BC Gang Conflict and present a significant public safety risk,” a 2024 release stated.
{{/usCountry}}On February 21, 2024, Sandhu and Dhaliwal were arrested and charged with two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder as well as Trafficking a Controlled Substance and Firearms offences.
Police was informed on July 31 that year that they had been released on bail and were residing in Abbotsford. “The Abbotsford Police Department recognizes the public safety risk these two men
present and is issuing this public notification to keep the public informed,” the release had said.
They faced several bail conditions including electronic monitoring, house arrest, bar on possessing weapons, prohibition on communicating on social media and they were not allowed to possess a cellphone.