Punjab-origin gangster, son shot in Canada; role of rival gang suspected

Tribune News Service

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, November 11

In yet another gang war-related killing in Canada, an alleged gangster and his 11-year-old son were shot by unidentified assailants, suspected to be of a rival gang, in Edmonton on Thursday.

Faced criminal charges

• Harpreet Singh Uppal & 11-yr-old son targeted outside Edmonton gas station
• Was a high-level figure in organised crime network in Canada, say cops
• Faced criminal charges, including cocaine smuggling; was to face trial in April
• Was member of 3rd-generation Punjabis’ biker gang linked to Punjab gangs

News reports from Canada quoted police officials as calling the killing of the boy as “sick and twisted” as it was not usual for a Punjabi gang in Canada or in Punjab to target families. Police officials here said they had come across instances where planned shootings had been aborted when a family member, especially children, accompanied the target.

The victim, Harpreet Singh Uppal, and his son were gunned down outside a gas station. Canadian police described Uppal as a high-level figure in organised crime network in the country. Reports said Uppal was member of a biker gang run by third-generation Punjabis, who had in the past few years established links with Punjab gangs. The Edmonton police suspect the shooters belonged to the rival United Nations (UN) gang.

Uppal faced several criminal charges, including cocaine smuggling, and was set to face trial in April next year.

The latest murder is yet another incident of gang war, with linkages to Khalistani groups, on Canadian soil. India and Canada are already locked in a diplomatic standoff over Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar’s killing.

On June 19, Nijjar was gunned down by unidentified assailants outside a Surrey gurdwara, while on July 14 last year, 1985 Air India bombing accused Ripudaman Singh Malik was killed.

On September 21 this year, Sukha Duneke, a Punjab gangster who had fled to Canada in 2017, was murdered in Winnipeg. He was close to gangster-cum-Khalistani operative Arshdeep Dalla.Goldy Brar, another Punjab gangster who fled to Canada a few years ago, took responsibility for Duneke’s murder. Brar is already a prime accused in Moosewala’s murder. Brar claimed Duneke was responsible for the killing of his brother Gurlal Brar. Goldy is associated with the Lakhbir Singh Landa gang, who is further associated with Khalistanis.

Other gang war-related killings included murder of Punjabi gangster Karanveer Singh Garcha in Coquitlam in July this year. The police link another killing of a gangster Amarpreet (Chucky) Samra in Vancouver in May to gang war.

Several Punjab-origin gangs are active in Canada. These are run by second or third-generation Punjabis, who have over the past few years established a network with Punjab-based gangs and Khalistani terror groups, further aided by ISI.

Most of the gangs are clan-based. The main gangs include Brothers Keepers, Dhak-Duhre gang, Dhaliwal crime family, United Nations, Independent Soldiers gang, Kang crime family, Malli-Buttar coalition, among others.

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