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Police still looking for clues in 2013 murder of Vimal Chand in Surrey

Vimal Chand’s body was found on Feb. 20, 2013 in a car parked near Hyland elementary school in Newton
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Surrey murder victim Vimal Chand. (File photo)

Crime Stoppers’ “Crime of the week” is the 2013 murder of Vimal Chand, 29, whose body was found inside a car that had been parked in front of a Newton elementary school for days on end.

The Whalley resident was last seen by his family at about 6 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2013, when he said he was going to the store to buy some smokes. His father reported him missing the next day.

His body was found three days later inside the family car, a grey 2000 Toyota Corolla with B.C. license plate number 948 FTP, that had been parked across the street from Hyland elementary school in Newton, at 66th Avenue and 140th Street, for four days.

Integrated Homicide Investigation Team officers produced an online video, posted on YouTube, in which Chand’s sister Karishma appeals for anyone with information to contact police.

“Vimal was like the glue that held our family together,” she said.

Tony Sullivan, operations manager of public safety for Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, noted that Chand was “known to police.”

“The family was devastated by their loss and are still looking for answers as to the death of their son and brother,” Sullivan said. “Do you know who is responsible for the murder of Vimal Chand?”

This case is Crime Stoppers’ “Crime of the Week” beginning Nov. 3.

“If you have any information regarding the incident listed here, please contact Crime Stoppers anonymously,” Sullivan said. “You could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000 upon arrest and charge. You will never be asked your name or have to appear in court.”

Police ask anyone with information related to this case, or others, to contact the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team’s tip line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

READ ALSO: Surrey cold-case murder is Crime Stoppers’ ‘Crime of the week’

Chand was Surrey’s seventh murder victim in 2013 – a year in which the city had a record 25 killings.

Surrey homicide cases, 2013:

Jan. 13: John McGivern, 33, and Geordie Carlow, 33, were shot dead in a parkade at an apartment complex in Cedar Hill, 9400-block 128th Street.

Jan. 13: Manjot Singh Dhillon, 27, shot dead near 168th Street and 76th Avenue in Fleetwood.

Jan. 15: Manjinder Singh Hairan, 27, shot near 127th Street and 112B Avenue in Whalley.

Jan. 28: Jaskaran Singh Sandhu, 26. Cause of death not released; his body was found beside Colebrook Road, in the 12300-block.

Feb. 18: Janice Shore, 45, beaten unconscious in a vacant lot near 106 Avenue and 135A Street in Whalley. She fell into a coma and died in hospital.

Feb. 20: Vimal Chand, 29, found dead inside his car, parked across the street from Hyland elementary school, in the 6600-block of 140th Street in Newton. Police have not released the cause of death.

Feb. 24: Amritpal Saran, 29. His charred body was found in the 12100-block of Colebrook Road, a few blocks from where Sandhu’s body was found. Police have not released the cause of death.

March 13: Brett Sheldon Lietz, 54, and Nicole Madelynn Brochu, 40, shot dead near 125A Street along Colebrook Rd.

March 18: Jackie Olson, 43, stabbed to death in the 13000-block of 103rd Avenue in Whalley.

April 24: Craig Widdifield, 28, shot dead in the parking lot of a shopping mall in the 15700-block of Croydon Drive.

June 19: Gurpreet Kaur, 30, killed in her house in the 6700-block of 145A Street in Newton. Police have not released the cause of death.

July 7: Scott Ashley McMillan, 55, was beaten unconscious in his home in the 13800-block of 64th Avenue in Newton. He died in hospital three days later.

Aug. 16: Kyle Yellowbird, 21, was stabbed to death near 154th Street and 100th Avenue in Guildford.

Aug. 17: Robert Patterson, 40, was run down by a pickup truck at 106th Avenue and 135A Street in Whalley.

Sept. 18: Ezar Ahmed Khan, 30. His body was found in Joe Brown Park, near 123rd Street and New McLellan Rd., in Panorama Ridge. Police have not released the cause of death.

Sept. 20: Victim’s identity hasn’t been released. He was shot in a house in the 8100-block of 145th Street, in Newton.

Oct. 25: Satwant Singh Bains, 35, was shot dead in his car, in his driveway, in the 8600-block of 156th Street in Fleetwood.

Oct. 31: Lisa Ann Zielke, 41. Cause of death not released. Her body was found in a small parking lot at Hi-Knoll Park, near 192nd Street off Colebrook Rd.

Nov. 9: Corey Bennett, 44, was shot dead in a house in the 2600-block of King George Boulevard in South Surrey.

Nov. 18: Mark Winston Berry, 44, was killed inside a house in the 12000-block of 99th Avenue in Whalley. Police have not revealed how he died.

Nov. 23: Ronald Richard Lomas, 44, was beaten to death at a house in the 9100-block of 147A Street in Whalley.

Dec. 17: Phillip Oun, 23, was found dead at 124th Street and 102 Avenue in West Whalley, near the railway tracks.

Dec. 23: Julie Paskall, 53, was brutally beaten outside Newton Arena while waiting to pick up her son who had been refereeing a hockey game. She died on New Year’s Eve.

So far in 2019 Surrey has recorded 15 homicides, according to IHIT.



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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