The community is reeling from Thursday's confirmation by Delta Police that the charred remains found on Delta Port Way in south Delta on Monday (October 23) were those of 30-year-old Surrey teacher Manjit Panghali went missing last week on Wednesday (October 18). She was four months pregnant with her second child.
Delta Police spokesperson Constable Sharlene Brooks said: "The body was found to have been disfigured by fire." But she refused to provide further details on the state of the body or tell the media at Thursday's press conference whether or not the victim had been killed before the body was set on fire.
Brooks made it clear that "no further information will be provided" and that "no additional information is anticipated to be released in the coming days or weeks as we continue this investigation."
She maintained her professional demeanour even as reporters tried to squeeze out some information out of her about possible suspects. She refused to provide any clue whatsoever, merely reading out a statement and stating that police were "not dismissing any possibilities" as to who could have committed the crime.
She said: "The Delta Police are aggressively investigating this homicide in an effort to bring the person or persons responsible for Mrs. Panghali's death before the courts. Having said that, this investigation is still very much in its preliminary stages and police are not making any assumptions or drawing any conclusions with respect to suspects or motive. This will be without a doubt a very complex and multifaceted investigation that will require all resources available to us. We would like to provide as much information to the public as we can however we must remain diligent in protecting every aspect of the investigation and respecting the privacy of the family as they work through, and come to terms with, their immense loss."
The autopsy was conducted on Wednesday (October 25) and Brooks said: "This is the outcome most feared by Mrs Panghali's family, friends and colleagues. Mrs. Panghali and her unborn child have had their lives taken prematurely and very tragically. This type of crime defies comprehension and the value of human life. We acknowledge that this is most devastating to those who loved and knew her."
There is no provision in Canada's criminal code to charge a person for murder in the death of an unborn child.
Brooks said: "The Delta Police will be the lead agency conducting the in-depth investigation into the homicide of Mrs. Panghali. We will be working with the Surrey RCMP and IHIT during the transition period of taking over the investigation."
When reporters wondered if the Delta Police had sufficient resources and manpower to deal with such an important case, she said they did and would utilize the services of other agencies where necessary.
She asked anyone with information on the case to call the Delta Police Department at 604-946-4411.
Manjit, a Grade 1 teacher of Surrey's North Ridge Elementary School, whose husband, Mukhtiar, is a physics teacher at Princess Margaret Secondary, went missing last week on Wednesday (October 18) and Surrey RCMP issued a press release only last Saturday (October 21) because the husband waited 26 hours before informing the police.
Police even issued wrong information about her going to prenatal classes in the Whalley area of Surrey, because her husband reportedly made a mistake about the location. But the yoga classes were actually held at 15515-24th Avenue and her yoga instructor confirmed that she left in her car after the session on October 18.
Surrey RCMP in their Saturday's statement said that Manjit left her residence in her 2001 grey Honda Accord (4 door) bearing licence plate 984 GBK and that she had not been in contact with any friends or family.
On Monday (October 23) family members of Manjit and Mukhtiar attended a press conference organized by Surrey RCMP but they sat separately and there seemed to be tension between them. That was strange because Indo-Canadian families on such an occasion would draw close to each other or even keep up some appearances of family unity for "outsiders." Obviously, Manjit's family were very upset with Mukhtiar about something serious.
Adding to all that mystery and tension was the revelation by a newspaper that a charge of criminal harassment had been laid against Manjit's brother-in-law, Sukhvinder Panghali of Surrey, who was actually living in the same Cloverdale house as the couple until recently.
As a result, on Wednesday (October 25), Richmond RCMP went as far as issuing a press release that stated: "Richmond RCMP are involved in an ongoing investigation regarding Sukhvinder Panghali of Surrey which is currently before the courts in Richmond. This accused has also been the focus of media attention regarding an ongoing missing persons investigation in Surrey. The victim involved in the Richmond investigation has been identified publicly today by one media outlet which is raising severe concerns for her safety.
"Richmond RCMP are requesting that the media not actively attempt to locate this victim for fear of her whereabouts becoming known to accused Sukhvinder Panghali of Surrey. If the whereabouts of this victim of criminal harassment becomes known to Sukhvinder Panghali her safety would be severely compromised.
"Richmond RCMP are actively attempting to ensure the safety of this victim of ongoing criminal harassment."
During Monday's press conference organized by Surrey RCMP, Mukhtiar told the media that his younger brother was at home looking after his three-year-old daughter, Maya. It was reported by some media that the brother had moved out earlier because Manjit was unhappy that he was staying with them.
Police announced that day that they had recovered Manjit's vehicle and although they refused to disclose where they had found it, it came out that it was found near Green Timbers Park in Surrey.
Surrey School District spokesperson Doug Strachan told the media that arrangements for counselors had been made at the schools associated with the Panghalis. The murder is bound to affect both teachers and students and other staff at the two schools.
SPECULATION ABOUT THE KILLER OR KILLERS
There is all kind of speculation in the community about possible killer or killers. Some believe that some family members may be involved, mainly as the result of Vancouver Sun highlighting the criminal harassment charge against the victim's brother-in-law and a TV station interviewing a neighbour of the victim who claimed that the victim was very happy when the brother-in-law was told to leave the house.
On the other hand, there are counterarguments that every family has its own problems and members of that family would have to be really stupid to commit any such crime.
Also, the fact that the husband took so long to approach the police is considered normal for Indo-Canadians by some because, as one married man put it, he would be terribly embarrassed to tell people that his wife didn't come back home at night because of the obvious implications. He would prefer to wait and see if his wife returned home rather than advertise that all over the community.
Then there are rumours that the spot where the victim's charred remains were recovered is a spot frequented by revelers who drink and light up bonfires. The killer or killers obviously knew that if they burned the body there, chances were that nobody - neither revelers nor truckers driving in that area - would get suspicious. There are also rumours that the victim had been shot before her body was burned.
Of course, all of the above is mere speculation - but it is the hot topic of discussion in the community.
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