Daijiworld Media Network - Vancouver

Vancouver, Oct 2: A Canadian court has sentenced 26-year-old Abjeet Kingra from Winnipeg to concurrent prison terms of two years for arson and six years for firing at Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s Vancouver Island home in September 2024.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Kingra acted on the instructions of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in India to carry out the targeted attack. The judge ruled that the incident was not an isolated act of violence.

Kingra, an Indian national living in Ontario, has already spent time in custody since his arrest in October 2024 and is expected to serve about four and a half more years in jail. The court also imposed a lifetime firearms ban and a DNA order.

The sentencing came shortly after Canada designated the Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity, linking it to murder, shootings, arson, extortion and intimidation.

Authorities have also issued an arrest warrant for a second suspect, Vikram Sharma, who is believed to have fled Canada.

The incident took place on September 24, 2024, when gunshots were fired at Dhillon’s home and two vehicles were set ablaze on the property. Although the vehicles were destroyed and multiple bullet holes were found on the house, no one was injured.