kidnapping

IN FOCUS WITH RATTAN
#1. Kidnap charges against Jethinder Narwal go direct to trial

Crown this week announced that JETHINDER SINGH NARWAL of Surrey they had approved a direct indictment on three separate but similar kidnap incidents in January, April and May. He is remanded at North Fraser.

However, there was a preliminary hearing for the three others allegedly involved in the January incident at Surrey provincial court. The three are SARPREET JOHAL, remanded at North Fraser, HARPREET NARWAL, on bail reporting to Delta Probation, and RANDY NAICKER on bail reporting to Burnaby Probation. The group face a number of charges that include kidnapping, unlawful confinement, threats, assault and possession of a weapon in a Surrey incident.

The victim was HARPREET SINGH, a former associate of Jethinder Narwal. He had been charged in a September, 2004 robbery along with Narwal and others, but the charges against him were stayed.

Police sources said that they had an operational plan in place during the three-day preliminary hearing because of Jethinder Narwal's association with violence and known involvement with organized crime groups.

Another incident in which Narwal was involved was a complaint of an assault in the area of 80th Avenue and 132nd Street on April 26 in Surrey. The victim in this case was KHARK GREWAL of Abbotsford.

In May, Surrey RCMP announced that their investigation led to six men being charged: 1) ATWAL, BOBBY HARMINDER, 25, (Surrey): one count each of extortion, assault, assault causing bodily harm, and kidnapping with intent to confine. 2) BAINS, JASRAJ SINGH, 25, (Surrey): two counts each of unlawful confinement or imprisonment and kidnapping with intent to confine, one count each of did use an imitation firearm, assault with a weapon, extortion, assault and assault causing bodily harm. 3) CHEEMA, HARKAMAL SINGH, 25, (Surrey): One count each of assault, unlawful confinement or imprisonment, extortion, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, and kidnapping with intent to confine. 4) JOHAL, MANDEAP SINGH, 24, (Surrey): one count each of extortion, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, assault and assault causing bodily harm, and two counts of extortion. 5) NARWAL, JETHINDER RAMAN, 30, (Surrey): two counts of unlawful confinement or imprisonment and one count of each of kidnapping with intent to confine, did use an imitation firearm, assault with a weapon, extortion, assault, and assault causing bodily harm 6) SIDHU, GURDIP SINGH, 23, (Surrey): one count of unlawful confinement or imprisonment.

In the third incident, that took place in May, eight Indo-Canadians - including two females and two guys just 18 and 19 years old - were arrested in what Abbotsford police described as "gang-style kidnapping" involving pot smuggling.

Abbotsford police spokesperson SHINDER KIRK said at the time that the eight were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a 29-year-old Abbotsford resident from a Coquitlam business in the early hours of May 2. He was later identified as HARJIT SINGH TOOR of Abbotsford.

He said: "Charges have been now been sworn against six men and two women after detectives from the Abbotsford Police Department with the invaluable assistance of the BC Integrated Gang Task Force (BCIGTF), Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), Delta Police Department, Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT), Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team (MIERT), New Westminster Police Department, RCMP ERT, South Fraser Integrated Probe Team and Surrey RCMP concluded an intense investigation spanning several Lower Mainland municipalities."

He said the incident began about 1 a.m. on May 2 (Monday) when the victim was kidnapped as he was leaving his place of employment. He was taken around to several locations throughout the Lower Mainland in what is believed to be a case involving the exportation of marijuana to the United States.

All eight suspects were arrested at a residence in New Westminster shortly after investigators secured the release of the victim on the evening of May 4 (Wednesday). They were later remanded in custody and then charged with one count each of kidnapping, unlawful confinement, threatening, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon.

They were identified as: JASVINDER SINGH MANGAT, 26, of Burnaby, SURPREET SINGH JOHAL, 26, and JETHINDER SINGH NARWAL, 30, of Surrey, DAVINDER SINGH JOHAL, 19, of Vancouver, HARJIT SINGH DEO, 21, HIRINDER KAUR DEO, 24, SURJIT KAUR DEO, 33, and GARINDER SINGH DEO, 18, all of New Westminster.

The four Deos are brothers and sisters and their family are prominent moderate Sikh leaders. On the other hand, Narwal comes from a prominent Babbar Khalsa family.

Narwal and Surpreet Johal were actually out on bail in another abduction case. The two were arrested back in January.