Punjab Man Shot Dead In Canada, Cops Suspect Targeted Killing

An Indian-origin man from Punjab's Ludhiana was shot dead in Canada's Surrey on Friday. The victim, Yuvraj Goyal, arrived in Canada in 2019 on a student visa and had recently received his Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) status. 

Yuvraj, 28, worked as a sales executive. His father, Rajesh Goyal, operates a firewood business, while his mother, Shakun Goyal, is a homemaker. Yuvraj was known to have no criminal record, and the motive for his murder remains under investigation, the Royal Canadian Police said. 

The incident took place on June 7 at 8:46 am, when the Surrey Police received a call reporting a shooting in the 900-block of 164 Street in Surrey, British Columbia. Upon arrival, officers found Yuvraj dead. The police have taken four suspects under custody.

The suspects, Manvir Basram (23), Sahib Basra (20), and Harkirat Jhutty (23) of Surrey, and Keilon Francois (20) of Ontario, have been charged with first-degree murder on Saturday.

"We are thankful for the hard work of the Surrey RCMP, Air 1, and  Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team (IERT), but there is still more work to be done.  Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) investigators remain dedicated to determining why Mr Goyal was the victim of this homicide," said Sergeant Timothy Pierotti 

Preliminary investigation into the case suggests that the shooting was targeted, although the reasons behind Yuvraj's killing are still being explored, he added.