British Columbia’s gang underworld claimed another victim with the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Dilraj Singh Gill, an Indian-origin Vancouverite long on police radar. The brazen daylight attack unfolded on January 22 at approximately 5:30 PM in Burnaby’s 3700-block of Canada Way, prompting a swift RCMP response.
Paramedics battled in vain to save Gill, who was hit multiple times. Minutes later, forensics teams probed a suspicious vehicle fire on Buxton Street’s 5000-block, linking it directly to the homicide. IHIT’s initial assessment points to a deliberate assassination amid the province’s spiraling gang wars, fueled by narcotics profits and turf battles.
‘Gill was no stranger to our investigations,’ IHIT revealed, framing the killing within broader patterns of retaliatory violence gripping the region. Sergeant Freda Fong highlighted inter-agency cooperation with Burnaby RCMP and forensic experts to chase leads, from ballistic evidence to witness statements.
This tragedy spotlights systemic issues, including reports of intertwined gang activities and extremist funding streams in Canada’s Punjabi diaspora. Experts advocate for fortified financial oversight, cross-border intel swaps, and crackdowns on laundering through fake charities to starve these networks.
Public outrage mounts over the normalization of such hits in residential areas, prompting renewed pushes for community policing and deradicalization programs. IHIT’s dashcam plea could unlock breakthroughs, as detectives race against time in this high-stakes probe. The case serves as a stark reminder of the human cost behind BC’s hidden gang epidemic.
