In the first major breakthrough, Canada police has reportedly identified a vehicle that may have been used in the attack at the residence of a local temple head’s son in Surrey, British Columbia on December 27.
In a press statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Friday said that “a vehicle of interest has been identified” be the General Investigation Unit probing the incident.
The police have asked general public to help identify a blue-coloured Mitsubishi Mirage GT or SE between the model years 2017 and 2019, the release stated.
On December 27, unidentified gunmen fired nearly a dozen shots at the residence of Satish Kumar, the president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.
While it was not clear if the attackers were Khalistani extremists or some other extortionists. Kumar, however, claimed that the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir was also targeted by alleged Khalistani activists thrice in the past.
The attack comes amid rising incidents of hate crimes against Hindus in Canada.
The incident comes against the backdrop of Hindu communities in Canada grappling with a disturbing rise in vandalism and attacks targeting their temples, coinciding with an increased presence of Khalistani groups.
Last year, the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey was defaced with anti-India and pro-Khalistani graffiti.
These attacks have increased after the murder of Khalistani extremist and New Delhi-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Canada accused Indian government of involvement in the murder of Nijjar, a charge vehemently rejected by New Delhi.
However, the allegations became a major flashpoint between Canada and India with both countries taking a slew of measures against each other, which included visa suspension and reduction in diplomatic strength.