8 Sikh men arrested for firearm-related offences in Canada

Toronto, Oct 6 (IANS) Police have arrested eight Sikh men between 19 to 26 years of age and charged them in connection with possession of loaded, prohibited or restricted firearms in the Canadian city of Brampton.

Officers from the Peel Regional Police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Donald Stewart Road and Brisdale Drive in Brampton at 10.25 p.m. on Monday.

"With the assistance of the Tactical Unit, eight individuals were extracted from the residence and arrested, and no one suffered any injuries," police said on Wednesday.

A Criminal Code Search Warrant was executed by the officers of Criminal Investigation Bureau, Region of Peel, following which a 9mm Beretta firearm was seized from the residence.

Those arrested include, Rajanpreet Singh, 21, who has been charged with the possession of a loaded, prohibited or restricted firearm, and careless storage of firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition.

Jagdeep Singh (22), Ekamjot Randhawa (19), Manjinder Singh (26), Harpreet Singh (23), Ripanjot Singh (22), Japandeep Singh (22), Lovepreet Singh (26) -- all from Brampton -- have been charged with has been charged with possession of a "Loaded Prohibited or Restricted Firearm".

All of them have been held for a bail hearing and attended the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

According to local media reports, they are a part of a drugs and illegal weapons cartel.

The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta provinces.

According to the 2021 census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385).

The arrests come in the wake of a diplomatic spat between India and Canada over the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar this year in British Columbia.