The victim, identified as Jimi “Slice” Sandhu who carried a Canadian passport under the name Mandeep Singh, was wanted for crimes in both Canada and India.
Phuket police chief Pol Maj-General Sermphan Sirikong said the two suspected gunmen are believed to have flown out of Thailand on February 6. Investigators have contacted countries they may be in to capture and extradite them to face legal procedures in Thailand, he added.
“Investigators are also collecting evidence to see if there are more people involved in this case,” he said.
Sandhu sustained several gunshot wounds outside his rented beachfront villa on Rawai Beach on the night of February 4. After the shooting, the hitmen threw their pistols into the sea nearby, which were later found by the investigators. Each of the guns is legally registered to Thai nationals, who the police are hunting for.
Meanwhile, immigration records show that Sandhu landed in Thailand in 2016.
Sandhu, who moved to Canada with his family when he was seven, had come to Thailand to avoid an arrest warrant issued in Vancouver for his role in the killing of a rival Red Scorpion gang member. He had allegedly been working with a gang dubbed the “United Nations” and earned the nickname “Slice” from a prominent scar on his cheek, police said.
He is also wanted in India over drug trafficking charges.