Days after Chirag Antil, a 24-year-old Indian, was shot dead in Canada, his brother has said that they had been on call with each other until half an hour before the killing.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Romit also detailed the uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of Chirag’s murder.
Chirag was found dead in his car late Friday night, outside the apartment he shared with friends. The Vancouver Police Department said officers responded to reports of gunshots at the scene around 11 pm on April 12. Upon arrival, they discovered Chirag’s lifeless body inside the vehicle.
Romit told The Indian Express that, during the call, Chirag told him that he was about to go out for a party with his friends in Vancouver city.
It was 10.30 pm, he said, adding that Chirag had just reached home after work, and parked his car. Romit said he “sounded happy”. A few hours later, he added, they received information that he had been shot.
Romit, who is pursuing his PhD in Sonipat, said as soon as he was informed about the shooting, by email, he made frantic calls to Chirag’s friends and everyone they know in Vancouver.
When Chirag’s flatmates heard the gunshots, Romit said, they thought someone was bursting firecrackers. Later, when they started to look for Chirag, they saw police personnel around his car and were informed about the incident.
In a press release, the Vancouver Police Department said no arrests had been made in the case and the investigation remains ongoing.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear, with police refraining from confirming any connections to gang activity.
“Our friends went to the neighbours to see if they could see CCTV camera footage, but nobody cooperated and they were shown the door,” Romit told The Indian Express.
Chirag had left for Canada in 2022 to pursue higher education. He had recently got a job as a supervisor at a security agency there.