NEW DELHI, India (Diya TV) — A reportedly leaked audio recording has added a new twist to the investigation into the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. In the recording, Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar allegedly claims that he and his associates killed Nijjar.
The recording has not been independently authenticated. Therefore, the claims cannot yet confirm who ordered or carried out the killing.
According to media reports, Brar made the alleged admission during a conversation with UK-based Khalistani terrorist Paramjit Singh Pamma. Brar reportedly said Nijjar supported people linked to a drug network that targeted young people.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent supporter of the Khalistan movement, died on June 18, 2023. Two gunmen shot him in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, said officers found Nijjar, 45, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds inside a vehicle.
Nijjar’s death quickly became a major issue in India-Canada relations. In September 2023, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canada’s Parliament that Canadian security agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a possible link between Indian government agents and the killing.
India strongly rejected the allegation. New Delhi called the claim absurd and politically motivated. Indian officials also accused Canada of allowing pro-Khalistan activists and organized crime groups to operate from Canadian soil.
The dispute then triggered a sharp diplomatic crisis. Both countries expelled diplomats, while trade and other talks faced pressure. India also suspended visa services for Canadian citizens for a period before gradually restoring them.
Meanwhile, Canadian authorities continued their criminal investigation into Nijjar’s killing.
In May 2024, the RCMP arrested Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh. Police charged the three men with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Authorities later arrested Amandeep Singh and charged him in connection with the case.
The RCMP also said it continued to examine whether other people played a role in the killing.
The Nijjar case also gained international attention because of a separate investigation in the United States. American prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.
According to the U.S. indictment, Gupta received information about Nijjar’s death on June 19, 2023, one day after the shooting. Prosecutors alleged that someone told Gupta there was no longer a need to wait before targeting another individual.
In the reported recording, Brar allegedly accused Nijjar of supporting people who recruited teenagers into drug trafficking. He also allegedly claimed that some young people faced blackmail and pressure to sell drugs or work as informants.
Brar reportedly referred to Nijjar’s alleged involvement in illegal arms trading as well.
Still, those claims remain unverified. Investigators would need to establish whether the recording is genuine and whether the statements accurately describe events.
Brar remains a wanted figure in several investigations. The FBI recently announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest. Authorities have linked him to the Lawrence Bishnoi organized crime group, which faces scrutiny from law enforcement agencies in several countries.
