E-Paper
Mistaken identity behind death of Sikh man and family in Canada, say police
Canadian police believe a shooting spree that left 2 Indian nationals dead was targeted but the victims were killed because of mistaken identity.
Canadian police believe that a shooting spree that left two Indian nationals dead and another critically injured was targeted but the victims were killed because of mistaken identity.
On November 20, police responded to emergency reports at a rented residence in the town of Caledon in the province of Ontario, where they found three persons seriously injured. One of them, 57-year-old Jagtar Singh, died at the scene, while his wife, 55-year-old Harbhajan Kaur was rushed to a trauma centre in the vicinity. She succumbed to the injuries sustained two weeks later despite multiple surgeries. Their daughter, who has not been identified, is still critically wounded and undergoing treatment.
Over 30 shots were fired at them.
However, while police believe the attack on the secluded residence was targeted, it was also a “case of mistaken identity”, according to the outlet Y Media, which cited law enforcement.
The couple who perished in the shooting were visiting Canada from India and living with their two children, who are both international students. Their son was absent from the house and at work when the incident occurred. The children had sponsored their parents to visit them in Canada.
In a release last month, the Caledon detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said, “It is believed that multiple suspects are involved.”
Investigators were working to establish whether a vehicle fire in the area was linked to this incident. In several gang-related episodes in recent years, the culprits have set the vehicle used ablaze after fleeing the scene.
An online fundraiser for the family, started by a friend Paramvir Singh, said the daughter was “deeply traumatized and severely wounded” and “has not spoken a word since the incident has happened” and doctors were “unsure” she will ever be able to speak again. “Police are saying that this is an act of mistaken identity and killers misidentified the victims for someone else,” it added.
