AI Generated Summary
- A 28-year-old man of Punjabi origin was shot dead in a targeted attack in West Abbotsford, British Columbia, late Friday night, an incident police say is linked to the ongoing gang conflict tied to drug trafficking in the region.
- On the night of the incident, Navpreet was at home with his mother, while his father was away attending to an elderly relative admitted to a hospital in Abbotsford.
- As investigations continue, the case has highlighted the far-reaching impact of gang violence, stretching from Canadian cities back to villages in Punjab, leaving families on both sides of the world grappling with loss and unanswered questions.
A 28-year-old man of Punjabi origin was shot dead in a targeted attack in West Abbotsford, British Columbia, late Friday night, an incident police say is linked to the ongoing gang conflict tied to drug trafficking in the region.
The victim, Navpreet Singh Dhaliwal, was born in Canada to a family originally from Sudhar village in Ludhiana district of Punjab. Canadian authorities confirmed that the killing forms part of a wider pattern of violence connected to rival gangs operating in British Columbia.
According to investigators, the shooting took place shortly after midnight at a residence on Siskin Drive. Police were alerted at around 12.38 am and reached the spot to find Dhaliwal critically injured. Despite emergency response efforts, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Family members and sources in Dhaliwal’s ancestral village said he had little connection with Sudhar in his adult years and rarely visited Punjab. His father, Gurjinder Singh Dhaliwal, had migrated to Canada in 1995, two years before Navpreet was born. On the night of the incident, Navpreet was at home with his mother, while his father was away attending to an elderly relative admitted to a hospital in Abbotsford.
Relatives allege that armed assailants forcibly entered the house and opened fire while Dhaliwal was studying in his room. He was first shot in the leg, and before his mother could seek help, the attackers fled after ensuring he had been fatally wounded.
Investigators have described the killing as deliberate and targeted. Responsibility for the shooting has been claimed on social media by individuals already associated with previous high-profile killings linked to gang rivalry. In online posts, the attackers alleged that Dhaliwal posed a threat to them and claimed they acted preemptively.
Police sources said Dhaliwal had been known to law enforcement and was previously linked to the British Columbia gang conflict. His name had surfaced during a major drug trafficking investigation launched in 2022, which identified several alleged drug peddlers in the Abbotsford area. He was arrested in 2024 and later released under strict conditions, including limits on his movement and use of social media.
The killing has once again drawn attention to the growing concerns within the Punjabi diaspora about young people being drawn into criminal networks abroad. Political and social activists in Punjab have called on Indian authorities to engage with their Canadian counterparts to address the issue. They have urged coordinated efforts to counsel Punjabi youth living overseas to stay away from gangs, drugs, and organised crime.
As investigations continue, the case has highlighted the far-reaching impact of gang violence, stretching from Canadian cities back to villages in Punjab, leaving families on both sides of the world grappling with loss and unanswered questions.
