Khalistani terrorist Nijjar's aide Arsh Dalla arrested by Canadian police after shooting incident: Sources

NEW DELHI: Khalistani extremist Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, who has been designated a terrorist by India, is likely to have been arrested in Canada's Ontario province in connection with a shooting incident, sources claimed here on Sunday.

The incident is suspected to have occurred on October 28 in Milton.

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) had in a statement on October 29 said that it had arrested two men on charges of "discharging firearm with intent" following an investigation after the duo had come to a hospital and one of them was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot and later discharged.

It did not disclose their identity and said both accused "were held in custody pending a bail hearing".

The sources claimed that one of those arrested is believed to be Arsh Dalla, who is associated with the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and ran terror modules on behalf of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist who was killed in June last year.

Recently, the Ministry of External Affairs had named Arsh Dalla as among the Khalistani terrorists for whom extradition requests have been made to Canada.

The Halton police statement said they were actively investigating the "shooting that took place in Milton".

"The HRPS was contacted by Guelph Police in the early morning hours of October 28, 2024, after two males attended a hospital in Guelph. One of the males was treated and released for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound apparently suffered in the Halton region. The other was not injured.

"The HRPS Major Crime Bureau is now investigating and both males have been arrested. A 25-year-old male of Halton Hills and a 28-year-old male of Surrey BC have both been charged with Discharging Firearm with Intent," the statement said.

Earlier on Sunday, Punjab Police announced the arrest of two shooters of Arsh Dalla's gang, who were allegedly involved in the murder of a Sikh activist last month, from Kharar in Mohali.

Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the arrest came in a joint operation of the state special operation cell, the Anti-gangster Task Force and Faridkot Police.

The two were identified as Anmolpreet Singh alias Vishal, a resident of Bhadorh in Barnala and Navjot Singh alias Neetu, a resident of Nijjar Road in Kharar.

The state police said preliminary investigations revealed that Arsh Dalla tasked Navjot to target Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, who runs a YouTube channel under the name of "Hari Nau Talks".

Arsh Dalla, who has been accused of involvement in targeted killings, terror financing and extortion in Punjab, was in January last year designated a terrorist by the Indian government.

He is an accused in various cases under the National Investigation Agency.

India-Canada ties remain deeply troubled over Canada's alleged support to Khalistani separatists and its accusation of India's involvement in the killing of Nijjar.

New Delhi has trashed the allegation and accuses Ottawa of doing next to nothing to stop the activities of Khalistani supporters who seek to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.