THE Vancouver Island house of Punjabi rapper AP Dhillon (Amritpal Singh Dhillon) was targeted by a gunman just after 1 a.m. on Monday.
The video of the shooting went viral on social media and was apparently shot by someone accompanying the gunman and posted as a warning as has happened in similar shootings involving Punjab singers in Canada in the past.
A pickup and another vehicle in the driveway of the Colwood house were seen ablaze. There were bullet holes in a window of the house and the garage door was damaged.
A neighbour told the media that she called up 911 to report the incident.
Police have not provided any information on the shooting.
A journalist, Gagandeep Singh, also posted a video on his X account that seems to show footage from a CCTV camera of the house.
That footage shows a person torching a vehicle before he or a second person starts firing shots from a handgun towards the house. Then the shooter gets into a car that drives up to him and takes off from the crime scene.
Gagandeep Singh wrote on X: “Indo-Canadian rapper Shinda Kahlon, a close associate of AP Dhillon and the only person in the house at the time of the attack, was unharmed.”
Another video has surfaced claiming that shots were fired at the house of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon in Coolwood, BC. A black truck and a smaller vehicle in the driveway were burned. Indo-Canadian rapper Shinda Kahlon, a close associate of AP Dhillon and the only person in the… pic.twitter.com/Ds1v5LsRvY
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) September 3, 2024
There is also speculation about the shooting being possibly connected to the numerous cases of extortion of South Asian businessmen and wealthy individuals that has plagued the South Asian communities in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. The extortion is said to be connected to powerful criminal gangs in India that are using South Asian gangsters in Canada.
Photo: Dhillon’s X
MEANWHILE, Indian media reported that notorious Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s right-hand man, gangster Rohit Godara, wrote in a social media post, “Greetings to all brothers. On the night of Sept 1, we executed shootings at two locations in Canada-Victoria Island and Woodbridge, Toronto. I, Rohit Godara (Lawrence Bishnoi Group), claim responsibility for this act.”
He added: “The house on Victoria Island belongs to AP Dhillon. [Bollywood superstar] Salman Khan is featured in your songs, and you flaunt your actions. The underworld life you emulate is the life we live. Stay in your place, or you will meet a dog’s death.”
According to one Indian media report, Salman Khan collaborated with AP Dhillon on a music video for the song Old Money, which was released in August. It also featured Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. In it, Salman comes to the rescue of AP and his associate Bunty when they are outnumbered in a fight.
Last April, two suspects fired shots outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai and police there declared Lawrence Bishnoi and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi as the “wanted accused” in connection with the incident, according to Indian media.
ACCORDING to Wikipedia, AP Dhillon “is an Indo-Canadian rapper, singer and record producer associated with Punjabi music. Five of his singles have peaked on the Official Charts Company UK Asian and Punjabi charts, while “Majhail” and “Brown Munde” have topped Billboard charts. Dhillon, alongside his label-mates Gurinder Gill, Shinda Kahlon and Gminxr, work as group under their label Run-Up Records.”
Wikipedia states: “Amritpal Singh Dhillon was born into a Punjabi Sikh family in Mullianwal in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India. He studied at the Little Flower Convent School and completed his graduation in Civil Engineering from Baba Kuma Singh Ji Engineering College in Amritsar. Dhillon pursued a Diploma in Business Administration and Management from Camosun College in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. He briefly worked at Best Buy before pivoting to music.”
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