Vehicle waited for Malik hours before he was killed: police
A vehicle was waiting for Ripudaman Singh Malik hours before he was killed in a parking lot in Surrey, police say.
Malik was one of the two men acquitted in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombings that killed 331 people.
He was shot in his vehicle in a parking lot not far from his clothing business on Thursday. He was 75 years old.
Sgt. David Lee of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team told a news conference that a white Honda CRV pulled up near the scene of the shooting around 7 a.m. and Malik was shot and killed at 9:27 that morning.
“The occupants were waiting for Mr. Malik,” he said. “I can’t specify as to the number of people as I do not want to taint any witnesses. We’d like them to come forward no matter how many people they saw.”
The same vehicle was found on fire a short time later not far from where Malik was killed. Police released a photo and video of the car driving through a strip-mall parking lot, asking for the public’s help in finding out who was inside.
The driver can’t be seen in the video and the sun’s reflection on the passenger-side window makes it difficult to see if anyone is in that seat. The back windows are blacked out.
“We understand this is a high-profile international story, however we urge people not to speculate as to the motive,” Lee said.
Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were found not guilty in March 2005 of murder and conspiracy in a pair of Air India bombings that killed 331 people on June 23, 1985. Bombs were placed on two planes. The first aircraft blew up over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard. The second bomb that was to be transferred to an Air India jet in Tokyo exploded prematurely, killing two baggage handlers at the Narita airport.
Jaspreet Singh Malik, son of Ripudaman Singh Malik, said he doesn’t believe his father’s killing is related to the not-guilty verdict at the trial. “I’m very much convinced this has nothing to do with that,” he said in an interview on Friday. “Because it takes a lot to hate. It takes a lot of energy to hate, and to hate someone for 17 or more years, and then to act on hate. I just can’t imagine someone like that in the world actually exists. And it’s just hard for me to fathom.”
He believes there is another motive, and feels the RCMP will find who killed his father and why they did it, he said, adding he didn’t know what that reason might be.
“I absolutely trust the people who are involved in the investigation.”
Malik said his father didn’t express any concerns about his safety.
“Dad never said anything to us about anybody ever threatening him or anything like that.”
Victoria police officers following up on a report of a stolen vehicle ended up dealing with a barricade involving multiple people, and a flood triggered by a suspect’s attempt to escape.
It began when police were called to a multi-unit residential housing facility in the 700-block of Queens Avenue just before 5 p.m. Wednesday to investigate a stolen vehicle.
Officers found a loaded shotgun, ammunition for another firearm and additional firearm accessories inside the vehicle, and started searching for the man last seen driving it.
About 10 p.m., the search brought officers to a suite in another multi-unit facility in the 200 block of Gorge Road East. Because of the firearms found in the vehicle, they brought a police dog and evacuated nearby suites. When the suspect opened the door, officers told him he was under arrest. He fled back into the unit and barricaded himself inside.
The Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team persuaded the suspect to give himself up just before midnight, then what appeared to be smoke began billowing from the suite.
The Victoria Fire Department determined it was steam that was released from hot-water pipes damaged when the suspect tried to tunnel into neighbouring suites to avoid arrest.
Police then discovered there were three others in the suite and called for them to exit.
Two people came out and were briefly detained, while the third stayed inside and said they didn’t want to come out due to an active warrant for their arrest.
With the damaged pipes now spilling a foot of water in both the suite and a neighbouring unit, officers deployed irritant gas just before 1 a.m.
The person inside surrendered soon after and was taken into custody. It turned out that they had no outstanding warrants, and they were treated for the effects of the irritant gas and released. The original suspect was taken to police cells and held for court.