Sikh Couple in Canada Likely Killed Over ‘mistaken Identity’

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On Nov 20, Jagtar Singh was killed and his wife and daughter were critically injured after armed assailants stormed into their rented residence and opened fire.

A Sikh couple from India killed in a shooting spree at their residence in the Canadian province of Ontario last month were possibly attacked in a case of mistaken identity, provincial police have said.

On November 20, 57-year-old Jagtar Singh was killed, and his wife and daughter critically injured after armed assailants stormed into their rented residence in Caledon town and opened fire.

While Singh’s wife, Harbhajan Kaur (55), succumbed to injuries during treatment two weeks later, the couple’s daughter continues to remain critical. The couple’s son was not at home at the time of the incident.

According to the local police, more than 30 shots were fired by the accused. They are yet to make any arrests and ascertain the motive behind the crime.

Officers are investigating “all aspects of this homicide, including whether or not the victims of this crime were intended targets or not”, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detective inspector Brian McDermott said.

“It is still too early to make any firm determinations on that aspect,” he added.

Police said the couple from India were visiting and living with their two children who are studying in Canada. The children had sponsored their parents’ visit.

In a release last month, the Caledon detachment of OPP said: “It is believed that multiple suspects are involved.”

Police also said they are working to establish whether a vehicle fire in the area on the day of the murder was linked to the incident. In several gang fights in recent years, the culprits often set the vehicles used during the crime ablaze before fleeing the scene, they said.

An online fund-raiser for the family, initiated by their friend Paramvir Singh, said the daughter was “deeply traumatised and severely wounded” and “has not spoken a word since the incident has happened”.

Doctors are “unsure” if she will ever be able to speak again, it said. “Police are saying that this is an act of mistaken identity and killers misidentified the victims for someone else,” it added.

Source: Hindustan Times