Two students from different regions of Punjab met a tragic end last week in Canada. Twenty-year-old Harshandeep Singh, was allegedly shot to death in the building he was working as a security guard in Edmonton. Rittika Rajput, a 22-year-old, student from India, was killed by a falling tree near Kelowna last weekend.
The local community has stepped forward to raise money for both of the deceased students and send their dead bodies back to Canada.
Edmonton Police informed that on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Downtown Branch patrol officers responded to a report of a gunshot inside an apartment building in the area of 106 Street and 107 Avenue. Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive 20-year-old male security guard Harshandeep Singh in a stairwell and immediately conducted first aid. EMS responded, treated and transported him to hospital where he was declared deceased. An autopsy on Singh’s dead body determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound and the manner of death was homicide.
The Edmonton Police arrested and charged Evan Rain, 30, and Judith Saulteaux, 30, with 1st degree murder on Friday, Dec. 6 in relation to Singh’s death. Investigators do not believe anyone else was involved in Singh’s death and a weapon was recovered during the arrest. Court dates for both accused are on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
In the meantime, a video of a security guard’s cold-blooded shooting in an apartment building was circulating on social media platforms. In the video, a man and a woman can be seen walking down the hallway. The man can be heard yelling as he lifts and points a large gun several times. At the end of the hallway, he appears to use the gun to hit someone off camera multiple times, while the woman and another person stand nearby. All three enter a stairwell with what appears to be the security guard with his hands above his head. The next moments are caught on video from inside the stairwell. It shows the security guard being held by the woman briefly before he runs down the stairs and is shot by the man in the back. He falls to the ground at the bottom of the stairs, and all three people exit the stairwell.
The police said that they were aware of a video circulating online that depicts Mr. Singh’s shooting death on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. “We are unable to comment on the authenticity of the video as the investigation is ongoing. While three individuals are observed in the video, EPS is confident that only two individuals were involved in the shooting death.”
“Edmontonians are rightly outraged by this tragic incident,” said EPS Homicide Staff Sgt. Rob Bilawey. “Posting or sharing incorrect information during an ongoing investigation impedes the process and disrespects the victim and their loved ones. We send our deepest condolences to the friends and family of the deceased.”
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser, Singh was the only son of his parents. He came to Canada just 1.5 years ago. “Singh’s family resides in Pind Matehri Jattan, Ambala, Haryana, India. The funds raised through this campaign will be deposited into the account of Harshandeep’s aunt, Balwinder Kaur Waraich, who will then forward the full amount to his parents in India. These funds will help cover the costs of sending Harshandeep’s body back to India for his last rites, as well as assist with funeral expenses, legal costs, and other unforeseen financial challenges.
The killing of Singh in central Edmonton is raising renewed calls for training and safety protocols for the job. Many international students from India have become victim of senseless acts of violence across Canada. While others have met tragic fate due to accidents.
A recent in the list is accident of Rittika Rajput. Rittika died a tragic death, due to a tree collapsing and impaling her head on December 7, 2024, in Kelowna. Rittika is from Punjab and according to the fundraiser, Ritika comes from “a low income family, her mother, Kiran Rajput, worked day and night stitching clothes for people to make their ends meet. Kiran also took out a loan of thousands of dollars for Rittika to send her to Canada and pay her educational fees. This unforeseen accident has left Rittika’s parents shattered and struggling to cope with this devastating loss.”
To help the family find closure, and to allow them the opportunity to conduct a proper funeral, a GoFundMe page was created by cousin Balwinder Heer to raise funds to transport Rajput’s body back to India.
Donations can be made at gofundme.com.
