Two Sri Lankan Tamil youths have been charged in connection with a murder plot in Pickering, Canada.
Kokilan Balamurali (24), a resident of Markham, Canada, and Brannon Balasekhar (24), a resident of Toronto, were arrested on March 7 and 8 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
Initially, both were taken into custody on March 8 for conspiracy to commit murder. At the time, Toronto police did not disclose why the two men were being investigated in Pickering.
When they appeared in court on Tuesday, police formally charged them with three counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of theft of property.
The two suspects had previously lived in Jaffna before moving to Canada for work. According to foreign media reports, one of the murders they are accused of was allegedly committed over a salary dispute at a restaurant.
After the crime, police reviewed CCTV footage from the area and used facial recognition to identify the suspects. Their images were then circulated across the province, leading to their arrests.
Kokilan Balamurali and Brannon Balasekhar are scheduled to appear in court again on April 11.
