THAILAND’S Bangkok Post reported on Monday that that an application had been filed for the extradition of Matthew Dupre, one of the two alleged killers of Indian gangster Jimi Sandhu who was gunned down in Rawai, Phuket, on February 4.
The newspaper said that Prayuth Petchkhun, the deputy spokesman of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), said that Dupre was arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, on February 20.
Canadian police have not made any announcement about Dupre’s arrest though sources confirmed his arrest last week to The VOICE. This could be for security reasons as gang rivals will be out to take revenge (see below for more details on this).
“Mr Dupre was being held in detention by the Alberta Court, pending the court’s decision on Thailand’s extradition request,” Bangkok Post reported, adding: “Mr Prayuth said the OAG was working on bringing him back to stand trial.”
Prayuth told the media that Dupre left Phuket for Canada on February 6 and an arrest warrant was issued for him on February 11.
The Royal Thai Police Office contacted the OAG seeking his extradition four days later. The Alberta Court issued an arrest warrant for him on February 17.
The VOICE had reported online on February 13 that Thai police had identified the alleged killers of Sandhu as Canadian nationals Gene Karl Lahrkamp, 36, and Matthew Leandre Ovide Dupre, 36, and had issued arrest warrants for them.
Thai media reported that the police contacted Interpol on February 12 to request a Red Notice for their arrest.
Thai police had told the media at the time that the two alleged killers flew from Phuket to Bangkok and left Suvarnabhumi Airport on February 6, with Dupre flying to Amsterdam and Lahrkamp to Frankfurt. Police released their photos to the media that were also posted on our website.
Dupre apparently flew to Canada from Amsterdam.
Lahrkamp, who is from Trail in British Columbia, has yet to be arrested.
Canadian police on February 15 searched a rural Trail property that belongs to Lahrkamp from where he was running his dog-breeding company Mountain Mal’s. One media report confirmed from the Canadian military that both Lahrkamp and Dupre rose to the rank of corporal with the former serving from 2005 to 2013 and the latter from 2012 to 2018.
Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. (CFSEU-BC) confirmed to The VOICE at the time that the CFSEU-BC was “assisted by our RCMP partners there in executing search warrants and it was in relation to an ongoing investigation.”
But she would not say what the investigation was about.
Sources told The VOICE that police were at this stage investigating the conspiracy part of Sandhu’s murder because that would have taken place in Canada – “so they are investigating the Canadian crime that allegedly happened here.”
Police sources had confirmed to The VOICE that Sandhu still had connections here even after being deported from Canada in early 2016. While appealing an Immigration and Refugee Board order to deport him to India because of his criminal background, Sandhu had denied that he had killed Red Scorpions’ gang leader Matthew Campbell, 31, of Abbotsford in January 2014.
Sources said he was aligned with the UN Gang that is in conflict with the Brothers Keepers. This was expected to trigger some retaliation, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. (CFSEU-BC) had alerted its policing partners about it.
In 2018, Sandhu was jailed in India after India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted what it called an international drug syndicate that manufactured the date rape drug, ketamine, worth Rs. 250 million [$5 million] every month. Apparently, when Sandhu was on bail, he left India.
FOR PHOTOS, VISIT:
Canadian Police investigating the conspiracy part in homicide of Jimi Sandhu in Thailand
