Police say they have arrested one man and are searching for another as part of their investigation into a shooting at the Vancouver Island home of popular singer and music producer AP Dhillon earlier this year.
RCMP say that on Oct. 30, 25-year-old Abjeet Kingra of Winnipeg was arrested in Ontario and charged with discharge of a firearm with intent and arson.
A warrant has also been issued for 23-year-old Virkam Sharma, who police say was last known to be living in Winnipeg but who they believe is currently in India.
The arrests follow a September shooting in the community of Colwood, B.C., where Dhillon, who moved to Canada from India in 2015, owns a home.
A video posted by media outlets in India showed a person firing 14 shots into the front of a house and a garage while a black truck and another smaller vehicle were on fire in the driveway.
RCMP said in a news release at the time that two vehicles were also set on fire and evidence that multiple shots had been fired into the home. Police said their preliminary investigation suggested it was “a targeted event,” and they did not believe the general public was at risk.
Bishnoi gang claims responsibility online
Media outlets in India have reported that Rohit Godara, a member of the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the shooting on social media.
According to The Times of India, Godara warned Dhillon to “Stay in your place, or you will meet a dog’s death.”
The post mentions Bollywood star Salman Khan’s appearance in Dhillon’s recent video for the song Old Money.
AP Dhillon performs ‘Summer High’ at the 2023 Juno Awards
The gang has sworn revenge against Khan after he was accused of hunting a blackbuck in Rajasthan in 1998. He was convicted for poaching 20 years later.
The animals, a type of antelope native to India and Pakistan, are revered by the Bishnoi community. Two Bishnoi gang members were arrested after a shooting outside Khan’s home in India in April.
An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News at the time that they could not provide any additional information on the gang’s ties to the shooting at Dhillon’s home.
“We are aware of the claims that are circulating online, and though we cannot provide further details, the file remains very active,” Cpl. Alex Berube wrote in an email.
Indian media reported that the Bishnoi gang also claimed responsibility for a shooting outside the Vancouver home of Bollywood singer and actor Gippy Grewal last November, again over ties to Khan.
Shooting follows Dhillon’s record deal
Dhillon signed a major record deal in August with Universal Music Canada and Republic Records, whose founder and chair Monte Lipman called him “an incredible artist” and “a shrewd visionary with a global reach that has already sparked a cultural revolution.”
Dhillon marked the signing with the Old Money video, which has more than 12.5 million views on YouTube.
The 31-year-old has been touring the world and playing arenas across Canada, and last year became the first Punjabi-language artist to perform at a Canadian Juno Awards event.
“I moved here with two suitcases and one dream, and that was just to do something that can inspire people back home,” Dhillon told CBC News at the time. “Immigrants that come into this country with the same hope that I had when I moved here.”