Now-25-year-old gangster Balraj Singh Basra was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years on Tuesday (local time) in connection with a much-talked-about Vancouver golf course murder case. The Indian-origin man’s sentence in Canada was revealed days after he was convicted of first-degree murder.
The tragic tale dates back to October 17, 2022, when a fellow Indian-origin man named Vishal Walia was gunned down at the University Gold Club near UBC. Much like Basra’s gangster affiliation, the 38-year-old victim was associated to the United Nations gang. However, he and group fell out before his death. At the time of his murder, Walia’s girlfriend was five months pregnant.
Indian-origin man sentenced in Vancouver golf course murder
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Warren Milman described the targeted hit as an “execution-style killing at close range in a public place of recreation.” He also brought to attention how “the getaway car” was set ablaze during the incident to escape an arrest.
Dragging Balraj Singh Basra for showing “a callous disregard for human life,” he further foregrounded that the India-origin gangster and others who had colluded with him discarded the two handguns used in the murder and the clothing in the car to destroy evidence.
In addition to his first-degree charges, Basra was also convicted of arson for setting the stolen Audi A4 sedan on fire just minutes after Walia was killed. He has been sentenced another five years for the arson, which he will serve concurrently with the murder sentence.
The Canadian judge even noted that the car fire went out of control as its spread to a nearby garage, fence and power pole, exposing other community members to risk as well.
Balraj Singh Basra was not the only man arrested in the Vancouver murder case
Back in 2022, Basra and the other co-accused men, Iqbal Kang and Deandre Baptiste, were taken into custody less than an hour after Walia’s murder. The incident involved a high-speed pursuit between them and the police. It concluded with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicle crashing into the second car linked to the killing on Westminster Highway in Richmond. The dramatic footage of the chase was shown to jurors during the five-week trial.
Kang pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to life with no possibility of parole for 17 years. On the other hand, Baptiste pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder, and got a 13-year sentence.
Walia was struck with gunfire at 9:49 am on October 17, 2022, in the popular golf course parking lot. Authorities picked up 19 shell casings from the scene. Prior to the slaying, the trio was seen at a Surrey Walmart purchasing clothing they wore as they executed their deadly plan, as per the CCTV video shown to the jurors.