Toronto: Following a violent shooting incident in Milton, Ontario, Canadian officials have detained Arshdeep Singh Gill, also known as Arsh Dalla, a designated Khalistani terrorist, according to a report on local Canadian news station CTV.

Tensions between Canada and India are rising at the time of this development.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was assassinated in June 2023 outside a Surrey Gurudwara, was close to Dala. He was designated a “terrorist” by the Union Home Ministry in January 2023 in accordance with the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He is one of the nation’s most sought-after terrorists and has been accused of extortion and targeted assassinations in a number of incidents.

According to a CTV report by Adrian Ghobrial, Dalla has been charged in connection with the October 28 shooting in Ontario.

According to the CTV reporter, the India-designated terrorist will appear in a local court on Wednesday.

According to a story in Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, Dalla arrived in Canada from Punjab in 2018 and resided in Surrey. He is said to be the leader of the Dalla Lakhbir gang, which is suspected of using Canada as a base for a violent extortion racket in Punjab.

On November 10, Punjab police said that they had captured two of Dalla’s main gunmen in connection with the murder of Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau in the Faridkot area of the state last month.

“Investigations reveal that the accused also killed Jaswant Singh Gill on November 7, 2024, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, under directions from Arsh Dalla,” said. Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab.

In October of this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) detained a close member of the Arsh Dala who had escaped from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The NIA arrested Baljeet Singh, also known as Baljeet Maur, of Punjab’s Bathinda district as he arrived at the IGI Airport from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, he has “credible allegations” that India was involved in the murder of Nijjar on Canadian territory last year.

All of the accusations have been refuted by India, which has called them “absurd” and “motivated.” India has also accused Canada of providing room for anti-Indian and extremist forces in their nation.

Six Canadian diplomats were recalled by India earlier this month after the Canadian government designated them as “persons of interest” in the Nijjar murder inquiry.