Desi Today Magazine
POLICE sources have confirmed what The VOICE was told on Thursday night by an anonymous source that the person shot dead in Abbotsford is Manbir Singh Grewal of Coquitlam, brother of slain gangster Gavinder Grewal, who was found dead in his North Vancouver apartment with injuries consistent with homicide on December 23, 2017.
This is the 14th South Asian to be murdered this year in the Lower Mainland area. None of the murders has been solved.
On Thursday at 6:43 p.m., the Abbotsford Police Department responded to reports of shots fired in front of a business in the 32000-block of South Fraser Way at Clearbrook Road. Upon arrival, officers located a deceased male.
Police said: “We are in the early stages of this investigation; however, the initial indications suggest this appears to be a targeted incident.”
A large area outside the CIBC bank on South Fraser Way near Cedar Park Place was cordoned off by police. The victim was shot just inside or just outside the bank that was open at the time, according to one report.
The Major Crime Unit of the Abbotsford Police Department was to transition this investigation over to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
Anyone with information about this incident should call the IHIT Tip Line at 1-877-551-4448 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
SURREY RCMP had in late July of 2017 cautioned the public against interaction with Manbir Grewal, then 28, and four other individuals who had been the targets of shots-fired incidents at the time.
“Each of these individuals has refused to provide information to police on these violent incidents,” said Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Surrey RCMP Officer in Charge, at the time. “At this point, we must assume that these men continue to be targets and, as such, we are advising the public to be cautious of any interaction with these five individuals.”
Now, a year later, Manbir Grewal is dead.
The killer or killers apparently managed to get into the building from the front door and then went up the stairwell as access to any floor requires a card. CTV showed the broken lock on the stairwell door and the broken door handle lying on the floor where the victim lived. Police had collected fingerprints from that area.
Back in March 2015, Abbotsford Police had issued what they called “an important public safety notification” warning the public about three men it believed posed “a risk of significantGrewal was known to police and associated to gang activity. Investigators believe Grewal’s murder was targeted and linked to other gang violence in the Lower Mainland.
The three men were involved in an ongoing conflict and a criminal lifestyle that included violence, drugs, and weapons. Police released their photos in an unusual move.
One of the three was Grewal, who police said had a criminal conviction for extortion and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. He was prohibited from possessing firearms.
In June 2016, almost six years after the crime, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced that Gavinder Grewal, then 29, and Jason Himpfen, then 41, had been arrested and charged in the July 2010 homicide of Mandy Johnson and the attempted murder of Gator Browne in Abbotsford. Grewal was charged with manslaughter in relation to Johnson as well as the attempted murder of Browne. Himpfen was charged with second-degree murder in relation to Johnson and the attempted murder of Browne.
The other 13 South Asians killed in 2018
* January:
Sachdeep Dhoot, 18, of Surrey: Last seen on January 9, body found in Vancouver on January 18. Vancouver Police said it appeared to be a targeted murder.
* January 19:
Lovepreet Singh Dhaliwal (Jason), 24, of Abbotsford. Police said he was trying to leave a criminal lifestyle.
* January 27:
Kalwinder Thind, 23, of Richmond, an innocent victim who died outside a downtown Vancouver nightclub on Granville Street while trying to break up a fight.
* February 15:
Kaminder Rai, 32, of Surrey, a realtor who was killed in Vancouver.
* March 9:
Pardip Brar, 23, of Delta, who was killed in Surrey. He was known to police.
* April 26:
Amin Vinepal, 24, of Delta, whose body was found in Surrey. He was known to police.
* June 4:
Jaskarn Singh Jhutty (Jason), 16, and Jaskaran Singh Bhangal (Jesse), 17, both of Surrey. The Frank Hurt Secondary School students’ bodies with gunshot wounds were found on a roadside.
* July:
Sukhpreet Grewal, 32, of Abbotsford, whose body was found inside a home on July 20. He was known to police.
* August 4:
Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal, 19, of Abbotsford. He was known to police.
* August 19:
Lakhwinder Singh Bal, 48, of Surrey. He was known to police.
* October 2:
Varinderpal Singh Gill, 19, was shot dead in Mission. Abbotsford Police had issued a public warning about him on August 15.
* October 11
Sumeet Randhawa, 30, of Surrey, who was known to police, was shot dead.
