In a major development in the probe into the murder of Canadian Sikh businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on 27 July charged two individuals - Tanner Sithigarn Fox and Jose Lopez - with first degree murder.
Ripudaman Malik, 75, was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia on 14 July.
Who Are Ripudaman Malik's Alleged Killers?
Both the accused are in their 20s - Tanner Fox is 21 while Jose Lopez is 23 - and have a history of violent crimes. Fox hails from Abbotsford in British Columbia, a town which has a history of gang violence.
In November 2019, Tanner Fox was arrested by the Abbotsford Police in connection with a stabbing incident in a parking lot. Fox was just 19 then and stabbing victim was just 17.
According to the police, the incident was "not gang related" and was the result of "an altercation between 3-4 young men".
Tanner Fox was charged with "assault with a weapon", "assault causing bodily harm" and "failure to comply with a court order".
He was sentenced to 119 days in jail and two years probation. According to reports, Fox was out on bail in another offence at the time of Ripudaman Malik's murder.
According to a report in the Vancouver Sun, Jose Lopez was also convicted in September 2019 of assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon for an incident in Abbotsford a year earlier. He got an 18-month conditional sentence and a 10-year firearms prohibition.
He is said to have been arrested from New Westminister.
The Big Unanswered Question - Why Was Ripudaman Malik Killed?
It seems reasonably clear that Malik's killing was a gangland killing. The method of killing points in that direction. But a few questions remain unanswered.
Which gang are are Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez associated with? There are several gangs active in the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia - Brothers' Keepers, United Nations, Red Scorpions, several chapters of American biker gang Hells Angels, just to name a few. Earlier this week, Meninder Dhaliwal of the Brothers' Keepers gang was gunned down at Whistler in British Columbia - a testimony to the continuing gang violence in the province.
And if indeed Ripudaman Malik's hit was carried out by a gang, what is the motive behind the killing? Malik did not have any known connections or enmity with any gang. At least the police hasn't put forward any evidence pointing in that direction.
Then the possibility that emerges is that Malik's was a contract killing carried out by a gang. The question then would be: who would order such a killing?
As The Quint had reported earlier, Malik had several sets of enemies due to his complex background. He was accused in the 1985 Kanishka Bombing case and later acquitted. He gradually grew close to the Indian establishment.
In 2019, he openly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused one section of the Sikh community of carrying out propaganda against PM Modi. Was the killing linked to the 1985 bombing? Was it related to his increasing proximity with the Indian state and praise for PM Modi? Or was it related to a local rivalry?
During their press conference on the afternoon of 27 July local time (early morning 28 July in India), the police was evasive on why the two suspects killed Malik, whether they knew him and if there are other suspects being probed, especially the possibility of a contracted hit.
Hopefully, further probe by the police will provide some clarity on these matters.
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