Toronto: India has expressed grief over the shocking murder of its citizen in Canada on Friday.
A student from Haryana, Harshandeep Singh Anttal, was murdered in Edmonton, the capital of the province of Alberta, in the early hours of December 6. The killing occurred while he was on duty as a security guard at an apartment complex in the city and two persons were later arrested by Edmonton Police Service (EPS).
In a post on X on Sunday, India’s consulate in Vancouver said, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Indian national Shri Harshandeep Singh who was shot dead in Edmonton on 6 Dec. 2 arrested & charged with first-degree murder. We will remain in close contact with authorities & provide required assistance to the bereaved family.”
On Saturday, EPS said two persons had been arrested and identified them as Evan Rain, 30, and Judith Saulteaux, also 30.
A release from EPS said that at 12:30am (local time) on Friday, Downtown Branch patrol officers responded to a report of a gunshot inside an apartment building and upon arrival, they located an unresponsive 20-year-old male security guard Harshandeep Singh in a stairwell and immediately conducted first aid. EMS responded, treated and transported him to hospital where he was declared deceased.
Investigators do not believe anyone else was involved in Singh’s death and a weapon was recovered during the arrest. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
EPS Homicide Staff Sergeant Rob Bilawey that they “typically” don’t release the deceased persons name unless the death has been confirmed to be a murder, but in this instance they did so “for an investigative purpose and in an effort to alleviate public safety concerns in relation to Mr Singh’s unfortunate death”.
According to an online fundraiser for his family, Anttal came to Canada as an international students about one-and-a-half year’s back. Describing him as a “kind-hearted and hardworking young man”, it said that the “senseless act of violence has left his family, friends, and loved ones shattered and struggling to cope with this devastating loss”.
It said that he is survived by his parents and a sister and the family resides in Pind Matehri Jattan, Ambala, Haryana.
A measure of how the community has been shaken by the murder is that the fundraiser had already raised over Canadian dollars 120,000 (nearly ₹75 lakh) by Sunday evening.
One of those arrested allegedly had a history of crime. The outlet Western Standard noted, “Rain’s criminal history includes prior violent charges, raising questions about his release and the effectiveness of Canada’s justice system.”
