NRI Bhandher faces first-degree murder charge in Surrey shooting death of Tejvir Singh Bains

Air India witness makes appearance on murder charge.
SURREY, B.C, February 26, 2008
By Kim BolanPublished
CANOE-wire

Smiling and waving at associates, accused killer Raminder Singh (Mindy) Bhandher made his first appearance in Surrey provincial court Monday on a charge that he shot a young man last month.

Bhandher had spent the weekend in jail after being arrested in Vancouver on Friday while driving with his close associate Amardeep Singh (Lali) Narwal.

Narwal was in court Monday, along with gangster Nachatar Singh (Nash) Bagri and members of Bhandher's family and his wife, Feroozan Noori.

The 30-year-old Bhandher, who was a key defence witness at the Air India trial for Ripudaman Singh Malik, is accused of killing Tejvir Singh (Sunny) Bains in a brazen evening shooting.

Bains was with his girlfriend, Ripy Kaur Jubbal, in their home when the 24-year-old was struck by gunfire.

Police have not revealed a motive for the shooting, but Canwest News Service has learned the murder happened after an argument broke out.

Jubbal is the former common-law spouse of Nash Bagri, a constant companion of Bhandher's, but the couple broke up last year.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has worked intensely on the Bains murder since the Jan. 28 slaying, RCMP Cpl. Dale Carr said Monday.

"Although we are not convinced that this is gang-related in the traditional sense, certainly to make an arrest in a high-profile case like this one so quickly is a relief."

Investigators have prepared a solid case, Carr said, leading to approval of the first-degree murder charge.

"Our team worked on this essentially daily since Sunny Bains was murdered," Carr said.

Despite the serious charge he is facing, Bhandher appeared relaxed, hands in pockets, wearing a casual Fila golf shirt. He gestured to his associates, appearing to tell one of them he would call him.

Bhandher, whose father Balwant remains a suspect in the 1985 Air India bombing, was called by Malik to refute the testimony of the Crown's star witness at the Air India trial. She had claimed to overhear Malik and Bhandher discussing incriminating information about the bombing in April 1997.

Bhandher and some of his associates were on hand to support Malik when the Air India verdict came down on March 16, 2005, acquitting the Vancouver businessman.