NEW DELHI: An Indian-origin man from Punjab’s Ludhiana was shot dead in Surrey, Canada, in what authorities suspect to be a ‘targeted shooting’. The victim, Yuvraj Goyal, 28, arrived in Canada in 2019 on a student visa and recently acquired Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) status. Goyal, who worked as a sales executive, was found dead after police responded to a shooting in the 900-block of 164 Street at 8:46 am on June 7.
Goyal’s father, Rajesh Goyal, runs a firewood business, and his mother, Shakun Goyal, is a homemaker.According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Yuvraj had no known criminal record. The motive behind his murder remains under investigation.
Four suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the incident. Manvir Basram, 23, Sahib Basra, 20, Harkirat Jhutty, 23, all from Surrey, and Keilon Francois, 20, from Ontario, have been charged with first-degree murder.
“Although initial evidence suggests this was a targeted shooting, investigators are working to determine the reason that Mr. Goyal, a 28-year old community member with no history of police contact, was killed,” Sergeant Timothy Pierotti said.
In the official release Sgt. Timothy Pierotti said that, on June 8, 23-year old Manvir Basram of Surrey, 20-year old Sahib Basra of Surrey, 23-year old Harkirat Jhutty of Surrey, and 20-year old Keilon Francois of Ontario, were charged with first degree murder, in relation to the shooting of Yuvraj Goyal.
Sgt. Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) praised the efforts of the Surrey RCMP and other emergency response teams, stating, “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. IHIT investigators remain dedicated to determining why Mr. Goyal was the victim of this homicide.”