Abbotsford (Rajeev Sharma): A late-night shooting in West Abbotsford has left a 28-year-old man of Punjabi descent dead, with investigators linking the incident to an intensifying feud among criminal networks tied to drug trafficking in British Columbia.
The victim, Navpreet Singh Dhaliwal, was born and raised in Canada, though his family originates from Sudhar village in Punjab’s Ludhiana district. Authorities say the killing was premeditated and forms part of a broader pattern of violence connected to rival groups operating across the province.
Police received an emergency call just after midnight on January 9 regarding gunfire at a home on Siskin Drive. When officers arrived, they found Dhaliwal critically injured inside the residence. Despite swift intervention, he succumbed to his wounds before he could be transported to hospital.
Given the circumstances, the case was transferred to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). Investigators later confirmed that the attack was targeted and not a random act, pointing to ongoing gang-related tensions in the region.
Community members in Sudhar village described Dhaliwal as having minimal contact with his ancestral home in recent years. His family settled in Canada in the 1990s, with his father, Gurjinder Singh Dhaliwal, emigrating in 1995. Navpreet was born two years later.
According to relatives, the shooting occurred while Dhaliwal was inside his home with his mother. His father was away at a hospital, tending to his elderly father, Nazar Singh Dhaliwal. Former Block Committee chairman and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Mehar Singh Dhaliwal, a family relative, said the attackers forced entry into the house. “Navpreet was studying when the assailants entered and opened fire,” he said. “His mother had no time to react before the shooting was over.”
Police sources revealed that Dhaliwal had previously been known to law enforcement and was believed to have associations linked to the drug trade in British Columbia. His name had figured in a significant narcotics investigation initiated by Abbotsford police in 2022. He was arrested in 2024 and later released under court-imposed restrictions, including limits on travel and online activity.
In the aftermath of the killing, individuals identified as Dony Bal and Mohabbat Randhawa publicly claimed responsibility through social media, alleging that Dhaliwal posed a threat to their lives. Authorities are treating the claims cautiously and say the matter remains under active investigation.
The incident has renewed concerns about the impact of organized crime on residential neighborhoods in the Fraser Valley. Police have appealed to the public for any information that could help trace those involved, stressing that gang-related violence continues to pose a serious risk to community safety in the region.
