Canada Border Services raids Penticton home
Home doubles as the office of Singla Brothers Holdings
Members of the Canada Border Services Agency conducted a raid Thursday at a home on Heather Road in Penticton.
Neighbours said dozens of RCMP and CBSA officers swarmed the property, which is the home of Paul and Vijay Singla and doubles as the office of Singla Brothers Holdings, around 8 a.m.
By the afternoon, at least four border guards, dressed in their regular uniforms with sidearms and bulletproof vests, remained at the scene.
They could be seen looking through boxes in the home’s garage, the door to which was closed after one of the officers noticed a reporter taking pictures.
A CBSA officer at the scene referred a request for comment to the agency’s media relations team, which didn’t respond by press deadline.
Penticton RCMP spokesman Const. James Grandy said he was unable to comment on the case because it’s a CBSA file.
Vijay is a long-time Penticton real estate agent, while her husband, Paul, is one of the owners of Singla Brothers Holdings, which is involved in property development and rental housing.
The company boasts of having 200 rental units across the region.
Someone who answered the phone at the Singla Brothers office Thursday afternoon said Paul was unavailable, and then hung up.
Vijay also hung up when called for comment.