One day after a mass shooting took place inside a pub in Scarborough, Toronto police arrested and charged two men who were allegedly plotting a murder in Pickering.
In court documents obtained by CityNews, Gokilan Balamurale and Brannan Skanda Balasegar, both 25 of Markham and North York, were arrested on March 8, and each was charged with one count of conspiring to commit first-degree murder at an undisclosed location in Pickering.
Though not verified in the court documents, according to the Toronto Star, the location of the alleged murder plot was Pickering’s Mansion Kitchen and Bar in the Kingston Road and Liverpool Road area.
Both accused are scheduled to appear in court again on Friday morning.
Police arrested Balamurale and Balasegar hours after a mass shooting at the Piper Arms, a pub in Scarborough, on Friday night. Authorities have said that three suspects “indiscriminately” opened fire as diners celebrated the pub’s opening night, then fled in a silver car.
Police say seven people were hit by gunfire, while the others were injured by flying glass. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.
The motive for the Scarborough shooting has yet to be determined, but investigators have said that one of the men was armed with an assault rifle while the other two had handguns.
A police spokesperson refused to link Balamurale and Balasegar to the Scarborough mass shooting, only suggesting that authorities are looking into all leads and that the investigation is ongoing.
“All we can confirm is that two people have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder,” police said in an email to CityNews. “We do not know the circumstances around those arrests. They have not been arrested for the shooting on Friday, and I can’t speak to any connection with that investigation.”
There has been no suspect description to date.
Balamurale is listed at an address minutes away from where a homicide occurred at a residence in Markham early on Friday morning, which neighbours believe is connected to a growing tow-truck turf war. According to the Toronto Star, Balamurale applied for a Toronto tow truck license in 2022.
A man and a woman were shot at the home on Solace Road near Castlemore Avenue and transported to a hospital, where the woman was later pronounced dead. She was identified as 20-year-old Nilakshi Raguthas.
A 26-year-old man is recovering from serious non-life-threatening injuries. A German Shepherd was also shot at the home and killed.
CityNews spoke to a neighbour who speculated that the homeowner who was targeted in Friday’s shooting in Markham is connected to the towing industry and has previously witnessed tow trucks parked in the front driveway. This has not been corroborated with police.