Man gets six years for shooting, arson at Punjabi singer's home in B.C.

A Winnipeg man convicted of arson and firing a weapon at the British Columbia home of Indo-Canadian pop star AP Dhillon last year has been sentenced to six years in prison.

RCMP say in a release that 26-year-old Abjeet Kingra has a noted connection to the India-based Bishnoi gang, and a judge concluded that the attack on Dhillon's Vancouver Island home last year was not isolated.

The Bishnoi gang, based in India, has been linked to a number of investigations into violent crimes across Canada, and was classified as a terrorist entity by the federal government this week.

The Mounties say Kingra was sentenced in Victoria provincial court on Friday for intentionally and recklessly discharging a firearm, and received a six-year sentence that has 4 1/2 years remaining after time served is considered.

He was also handed a two-year term for arson, a sentence to be served at the same time as the firearm conviction.

Police say no one was injured in the shooting in Colwood, B.C., on Sept. 2, 2024, which came at the same time that two vehicles were set on fire on Dhillon's property.

Kingra was arrested in Ontario last October, while police continue to look for a second suspect identified as 24-year-old Vikram Sharma who is believed to have fled to India.