A judge has sentenced a man to two years in jail for arson and six years for discharging a firearm into a place where a person may be present for his role in the 2024 shooting at Punjabi musician and producer AP Dhillon’s Colwood, B.C., home.
Abjeet Kingra, a 26-year-old Winnipeg man, was sentenced in Victoria on Sept. 26 after pleading guilty in August.
According to RCMP, the judge wrote in their decision that Kingra was acting on the direction of the Lawrence Bishnoi crime group in India, to commit targeted, criminal acts in Canada.
The sentencing came just days before the federal government announced it would list the Bishnoi Gang, which it says is a transnational criminal organization that “engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation,” as a terrorist entity.
RCMP say they have issued an arrest warrant for a second suspect, Vikram Sharma, who is believed to have left Canada.
“The sentencing of Abjeet Kingra is the result of months of dedicated investigative work by our officers,” said Insp. Stephen Rose, acting officer in charge of West Shore RCMP.
“While we are pleased to see accountability in this case, our work is not done. We remain committed to locating Vikram Sharma and bringing him before the courts.”
Kingra will serve his sentences concurrently and is expected to spend about 4½ in jail, after time served since his October 2024 arrest. The court also imposed a lifetime firearms ban and a DNA order on him.
Gunshots, vehicle fire
RCMP say they were called to Dhillon’s Colwood home, located on southern Vancouver Island, on Sept. 2, 2024, following reports of gunshots and vehicles on fire.
By the time officers arrived, police say two vehicle were “fully engulfed” in flames, and evidence showed multiple gunshots had been fired at and into the house. A resident was evacuated from the home by police, and the fire department extinguished the flames.
Kingra was arrested about two months later in Ontario, on Oct. 30, 2024.
Shortly after the shooting, media outlets in India reported that a member of the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility on social media for the act.
According to the Times of India, gang member Rohit Godara warned Dhillon in a post to “Stay in your place, or you will meet a dog’s death.” He mentioned the appearance of Bollywood star Salman Khan, against whom the gang has sworn revenge, in Dhillon’s recent video for the song Old Money.
Khan was accused of hunting a blackbuck, a type of antelope revered by the Bishnoi community, in 1998, and was convicted of poaching 20 years later.
Two Bishnoi gang members were arrested after a shooting outside Khan’s home in India in April 2024. The gang also claimed responsibility for a shooting outside of Bollywood singer and actor Gippy Grewal’s house in 2023, also in connection to Khan, Indian media reported.
Public Safety Canada said in a statement that federal immigration officials will now have the right to deny people associated with the gang entry to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
“They create a climate of insecurity in these communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses and cultural figures,” the statement read.
Suspect still at large
RCMP say they are working with authorities to find and apprehend Sharma, who is wanted for arson and the discharge of a firearm with intent.
Sharma, 24, is believed to currently be in India, which West Shore RCMP communications officer Corp. Nancy Saggar said poses added challenges to the investigation.
“If they happen to be spotted in another country, we absolutely will work with that country to bring them back here to Canada to face charges and court,” she said.
Saggar said the Bishnoi Gang is know to target specific communities in Canada for “terror, violence and intimidation,” and said anyone who receives a threat should reach out to their local police.
RCMP have also asked for anyone with information on Sharma’s location to get in touch.
CBC News reached out to Dhillon, but did not hear back prior to publication.
