On May 4, 2009, two homicides occurred, setting into motion a chain of events that consumed the past five years for the victims’ families and our police service, as well as our colleagues in the Crown Attorney’s Office.
Harjinder Sandhu and Puneet Chhina were discovered by our officers when they responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle. A project team was assembled in partnership with the RCMP, and the file was identified as a multi-jurisdictional case, with Toronto and the OPP completing the supplemental investigations of one of the key suspects: Vijay Singh.
Two men were arrested for the murders in early 2010: John Le and Vijay Singh. Both were charged with First Degree Murder and on February 14, 2014, they were sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 23 years for each murder. They were also sentenced to two concurrent prison terms of 15 years for the kidnapping. In addition, Singh and Le received sentences of 10 and eight years respectively, on criminal organization convictions.
Project Pilot is an excellent example of organization success. The efforts by our sworn and civilian members were outstanding, and the case represents an exceptional achievement. We must also acknowledge the contributions of, and partnerships with, other policing and government agencies. Our collective efforts ultimately led to the successful conclusion.
DRPS, the RCMP and the Crown Attorney’s Officer received plaques from the director of Major Case Management in Ontario, highlighting the importance of teamwork stating, “In recognition of the coordinated efforts of your organization toward the successful conclusion of Project Pilot. This case demonstrated the highest levels of efficiency through multi-jurisdictional cooperation.”
Homicide cases affect everyone in our community. By working together, we were able to remove two abhorrent members of society from being able to destroy anyone else’s family or sense of security. We are extremely proud of the efforts of everyone involved for not only making Durham Region a safer place in which to live, work and play, but our international community as well.
