Indian student in Canada dies in carjacking incident

Toronto: A 24-year-old Indian student, who worked as a food delivery driver in Canada, died after he was violently attacked during a carjacking incident, police said.

Gurvinder Nath from Punjab’s Karimpur Chahwala village, was lured by his attackers in the area of Britannia Road and Creditview, Mississauga, on the pretext of placing a food order earlier this month.

Upon arrival, Nath, a student of Loyalist College in Toronto, was violently assaulted and robbed of his vehicle, and succumbed to his injuries on July 14 at a trauma centre.

Investigators have reason to believe there are multiple suspects involved and that the food order was placed as a means of luring the driver to the area, the Peel Regional Police said in a statement.

An audio recording of the Pizza Pizza order placed before the attack has also been obtained by the investigators.

“It is believed that Nath was an innocent victim although every potential motive is being explored,” the police said.

Police have identified a suspect vehicle — a 2012 to 2017 white Hyundai Accent sedan, which has a distinctive flashing blue light at the top of the windshield.

In a CCTV footage, a male described as wearing dark clothing is seen exiting the vehicle, the police said, adding that there is no known connection between the Indian student and his attackers in Canada.

Phil King of Peel Regional Police’s Homicide Bureau said Nath’s vehicle was found abandoned in the area of Old Creditview and Old Derry roads, less than five kilometres from the crime scene.

The vehicle has been forensically examined and “several” pieces of evidence have been retrieved, King said.

He said that at this moment police are unsure if a weapon was used in the attack.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the Indian student’s repatriation from Canada and help the family with funeral expenses.

Shocked community members held a candlelight vigil in Mississauga on Saturday where more than 200 people gathered to mourn Nath’s death.

“The devastating loss of Gurvinder has left his family shattered and heartbroken. Their decision to send him to Canada was filled with great aspirations, hoping that he would one day achieve full settlement in a new and promising land. Hailing from a middle-class family, Gurvinder was their beacon of hope, and his success held the key to a better future for them,” vigil organiser Gagandeep Kaur said in a Facepost post.