Canadian police arrest 4, including alleged gangster, in Indo-Canadian murder case

The victim of the daylight shooting, which took place shortly before 9 am on Friday, was identified as Yuvraj Goyal, 28, a resident of Surrey in the province of British Columbia, in a release from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT on Saturday.

Those arrested in connection with the killing were identified as Manvir Basram, 23, Sahib Basra, 20, Harkirat Jhutty, 23, all residents of Surrey and Keilon Francois, 20, who is from the province of Ontario.

On June 7, as officers from the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded to a report of the shooting, they located Goyal, originally from Ludhiana, already deceased. At the time, investigators believed this was a “targeted shooting.” However, they are attempting to ascertain the motive for the killing as Goyal had “no history of police contact.” In other words, he was not considered to have been associated in gang activity. “IHIT investigators remain dedicated to determining why Mr. Goyal was the victim of this homicide,” the Team’s spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Pierotti said.

Officers also rushed to the scene of a vehicle that was set ablaze a short while later. That is considered a hallmark of gang-related activity.

The four suspects who were taken into custody have been charged with first degree murder.

One of those arrested, Harkirat Jhutty was the subject of the public warning issued by Surrey RCMP in December 2022, along with Karnvir Garcha. Police had said the alert was being sounded at the time due to “a significant threat to the public posed by these individuals through their connection to criminal activity and high levels of violence, police believe that anyone connected to or in proximity to them may be putting themselves at risk.”

“Due to their association with gang activity, the drug trade, and violent acts such as shootings, these individuals have put themselves, their families, and the community at risk,” the release stated.

In July 2023, Garcha, 25, was found fatally shot in the town of Coquitlam, also in British Columbia, possibly another victim of the ongoing gangland conflict in the region.