On Wednesday (30th October), the police arrested a man, identified as 25-year-old Abjeet Kingra, in connection with the shooting and arson at Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s house in Brantford city in Ontario province of Canada.
The incident took place on 2nd September this year. Police alleged that the second suspect, identified as 23-year-old Vikram Sharma, had fled to India after the incident.
As per a press release from West Shore RCMP, the police responded to reports of two vehicles on fire and a residence hit by gunfire on Ravenwood Road.
Update to the West Shore RCMP investigation regarding the Arson and Shooting that took place in September.
— West Shore RCMP (@WestshoreRCMP) October 31, 2024
Abjeet Kingra has been arrested and charged with Discharge of a Firearm with Intent and Arson.
An Unendorsed warrant for Vikram Sharma has been issued.
Full media… pic.twitter.com/tVvuzueZHs
The house belonged to Punjabi singer AP Dhillon. The police rushed to the scene and evacuated the resident of the house, and Colwood Fire Department extinguished the burning vehicles. Police reported that multiple shots were fired at Dhillon’s house.
On 30th October, Kingra was taken into custody in Ontario. He has been charged with Discharge of a Firearm with Intent and Arson. He appeared in an Ontario court on Friday, facing serious charges as investigators further probe the reason behind the incident.
An arrest warrant has been issued against Sharma, who is currently on the run. Police allege that he has fled to India. He is wanted on an unendorsed warrant for Discharge of a Firearm with Intent and Arson.
Superintendent Todd Preston, Officer in Charge of West Shore RCMP, said in a statement, “We will continue to pursue this investigation as well as the outstanding suspect until they have been located and arrested.” Further investigation into the matter is underway.
Abjeet Kingra was a fan of Dhillon, reports
According to independent freelance journalist V, Abjeet Kingra was a fan of AP Dhillon and would regularly post videos featuring Dhillon’s songs on the social media platform TikTok.
OpIndia could not independently verify the existence of such videos, as Kingra’s account has been removed from TikTok.
In a post, journalist V wrote, “The man arrested for the shooting at AP Dhillon’s house in Canada, Abjeet Kingra, was an AP Dhillon fan and would frequently post his music on social media. He entered 🇨🇦 on a student visa and was a resident of Winnipeg.”
Man arrested for the shooting at AP Dhillon's house in Canada, Abjeet Kingra, was a AP Dhillon fan and would frequently post his music on social media
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) November 2, 2024
He entered 🇨🇦 on a student visa and was a resident of Winnipeg pic.twitter.com/mOCb7o8pzA
Shooting at AP Dhillon’s house in Canada
On the intervening night of 1st and 2nd September, a shooting incident took place at the residence of Punjabi singer and rapper AP Dhillon in Canada. A video of the incident surfaced on social media and went viral, showing a man outside the house firing multiple shots at night.
Following the shooting, a post also began circulating on social media.
In the viral post, Rohit Godara (of the Lawrence Bishnoi group) claimed responsibility not only for the shooting incident in Vancouver but also in Woodbridge, Toronto. Apart from taking responsibility, the post also issued a death threat to Punjabi singer AP Dhillon, citing his association with Bollywood actor Salman Khan.