Indian-Origin Man Yuvraj Goyal Shot Dead In Canada; 4 Charged With First-Degree Murder (image-Facebook/Yuvraj Goyal)
A 28-year-old man called Yuvraj Goyal was shot dead in Surrey, Canada, on Friday. The Canadian police reportedly suspect the Indian-origin man to be a victim of a ‘targeted shooting.’
Hailing from Punjab’s Ludhiana, Goyal had moved to Canada in 2019 on a student visa and had recently acquired Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) status. He worked as a sales executive at a Canada-based firm called Basant Motors.
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According to reports, the police found Goyal dead while responding to a shooting in the 900 block of 164 Street in Surrey at around 8:30 in the morning. Upon further investigation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concluded that Goyal had no criminal record.
While the motive behind the killing is yet to be determined, four individuals have been taken into custody. Harkirat Jutty (23), Manvir Basram (23), Sahib Basra (20) from Surrey, and Keilon Francois (20) from Ontario were charged with first-degree murder on Saturday.
The victim’s brother-in-law, Bawandeep, stated that Goyal was talking to his mother on the phone while returning from the gym, moments before the shooting, reported the Times of India.
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Goyal’s father, Rajesh Goyal, runs a firewood business, while his mother, Shakun Goyal, is a homemaker. The tragic news has shaken the family of Goyal, who, as his mother says, “had no known enemies.” Seeking answers from the Canadian government, Shakun demands the strictest punishment against those responsible for the killing of her son.
“I don’t think anyone can give us justice. No one can bring our son back, but the Canadian government must understand that parents send their children to Canada with a lot of dreams, not to get their lifeless bodies back,” she said, as quoted by the Indian Express.
In April this year, a 24-year-old hailing from Haryana was shot dead in his car in Vancouver city. Chirag Antil had gone to Canada to pursue higher education in 2022 and was on a work visa after completing his MBA.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), around 403 international students from India died between the year 2018 and 2023 while studying abroad. Canada alone recorded a death toll of 91, representing more than one-fifth of the total student deaths abroad. UK comes second with 48, Russia at 40, US at 36, and Australia at 35. Notably, Canada is also the second most visited country by Indian students for higher studies abroad.
