BIKRAMJIT ‘Bicky’ Singh Khakh, 30, of Surrey, who was known to police, was shot dead on Friday (February 1) at about 7:20 p.m. at a residence in the 13900-block of 58A Avenue

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) that is requesting public assistance to further its investigation said that his murder is believed to be linked to the ongoing gang conflict in the Lower Mainland.

“We believe Bikramjit Khakh was targeted for murder,” said IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang on Saturday.  “Developing the timeline of Mr. Khakh’s activities prior to his death will be one of the priorities for our detectives and we urge anyone who can help us do so to contact us immediately.”

Surrey RCMP that received a report of the shooting at about 7:20 p.m. found Khakh dead with gunshot wounds.  A white four-door Mercedes sedan was seen quickly leaving the area after the shooting.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., Surrey RCMP were alerted to a burning vehicle in the area of Colebrook Road at King George Boulevard, approximately three kilometers away from the scene of the shooting. Detectives believe the two incidents are linked and are asking anyone with information to come forward.  Drivers with dash-cam video who were travelling in the area on Friday evening are asked to contact IHIT immediately.

Jang told the media later that police will take the vehicle that is badly burned to their facility where they will go through it meticulously and gather forensic evidence from it.

He said police will look into his current gang affiliations in particular because in the world of crime, affiliations and loyalties change quickly.

The VOICE was the first to report the murder on Friday night. Although we knew the name of the victim, who we were told was a longshoreman, we decided to wait for police confirmation.

We wrote in our report on Friday night: “Information so far is that a South Asian longshoreman is the victim. The VOICE has been told the name of the victim but we are not publishing it for now. He is said to be about 28 years old.”

Unconfirmed rumours in the community are that a close friend of Khakh phoned him to open his door and the killer then shot him.

IHIT is working closely with its partners from the Surrey RCMP, the Integrated Forensic Identification Services and the B.C. Coroners Service to gather evidence.

Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551- IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).