Surrey RCMP on Monday arrested medical office assistant Meena Jouhal, 30, of Surrey and an Indo-Canadian "former" gangster Baljit (Bal) Singh Buttar, 31, of Vancouver, a blind quadriplegic who has been under police guard in a Vancouver area hospital since 2001 following an attempt on his life, and charged the two with conspiracy to commit murder and counselling an indictable offence.
Surrey RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow said that police started an investigation in July "with regards to a conspiracy to commit a serious act(s) of violence" and that Buttar "is known to police."
Surrey Provincial Court records reveal that the two accused allegedly conspired to have Meena's husband, Navtej Singh Jouhal, killed by a person identified as "E. Kramer."
It appears from a local newspaper report that the police got a tip-off because they had bugged Buttar's phone.
WHO IS BAL BUTTAR?
Back in 2004, Buttar told a local newspaper in an extensive interview that he got Bindy Johal killed in 1998 when he suspected that Bindy was trying to kill him. He claimed that Bindy killed close associates or arranged for their deaths. Bindy tried to get Peter Gill - who was charged along with Bindy and others in the 1994 murders of brothers Ron and Jim Dosanjh (they were all acquitted) - killed in 1998, but the attempt failed because the killer's semi-automatic jammed.
Buttar said he met Bindy at the Vancouver pre-trial jail in 1997 and joined his "The Elite" gang - one that he took over from Bindy and used it to get him killed. Earlier, with Bindy, he had set up several hits of Indo-Canadian gang members.
Buttar's younger brother Kuljit (Kelly) was gunned down in gangland slaying style just after midnight at Richmond's Riverside Banquet Hall in December, 2001, just when a wedding reception was wrapping up. Buttar blamed Robbie Kandola for that killing and he claimed, he got him killed the following year. Buttar himself has been paralysed and blind since he was attacked in a Vancouver hair salon in 2001. Buttar also made other claims but his credibility is very much in doubt.
Buttar had claimed that he was a reformed person and wanted to help youth stay away from gangs.
His older brother, Manjit (Manny) Buttar, is to go on trial next week on charges of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and using an imitation firearm.
A lot of information on Bal Buttar and his brothers came out in the background facts in the October, 2004 reasons for judgment by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Daphne Smith in a case where an Indo-Canadian family sued the New Westminster police for damages, alleging breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The case was dismissed by the court.
The Richmond family came under the protection of the police after an 18-year-old member, who can only be identified as Derek, was shot twice in the head and left under the Queensborough Bridge in New Westminster on September 19, 1998.
For various reasons, the family could not get into a federal witness protection program, but under a deal with the B.C. government, the family moved to Edmonton, then to Winnipeg and finally to a third location.
The background facts stated that "at the time of Derek's murder, the family was experiencing economic, marital and personal difficulties … Mr. Smith and Ms Tim had a history of marital difficulties. They had separated briefly on two occasions … Both parties had health issues."
They go on to say:
"Mr. Smith and Ms Tim's children were also experiencing difficulties before Derek's death. They were friendly with the three sons of a neighbouring family: Manny, Bal and Kelly Buttar. The six boys frequently visited one another in their respective homes. Mr. Smith suspected that Derek was involved in trafficking drugs with one or more of the Buttar brothers.
"The Buttar brothers were involved in criminal activities and had a reputation for violence and intimidation. They were known to have used such extreme tactics as aggravated assault, forcible confinement, threats with weapons, extortion and murder. In May, 1998, Kelly Buttar, had been granted bail pending his trial on criminal charges. In June, 1998, Bal Buttar had been released from jail.
"Bal Buttar was very unpredictable and had a violent temper. He was considered the most dangerous of the three Buttar brothers. Bal and Kelly Buttar were closely associated with the Bindy Johal crime group, which was believed to have been responsible for the murders of a number of young Indo-Canadian men in the Lower Mainland. Bal Buttar was Bindy Johal's bodyguard and main "enforcer". Following Bindy Johal's murder in December, 1998, it was believed that Manny Buttar assumed control of the crime group, using Kelly Buttar as his main operator. Kelly was Derek's closest friend.
"Derek was employed at his father and uncle's auto body business until his detention on a criminal charge in Spring 1998. He was the primary suspect in a robbery of the Safeway store where Ms Tim was employed. However, in early September the charge was stayed and he was released from custody subject to a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Following his release, he continued his association with the Buttar brothers and in particular Kelly Buttar.
" C. Winslow, the couple's youngest son, had serious behavioural problems … He had a police history of numerous incidents. He was friends with Kelly Buttar and idealized Paul Khela who also associated with the Buttar brothers.
"After the family was relocated, C. Winslow returned to the Lower Mainland on several occasions and continued to associate with Mr. Khela. Mr. Khela had assumed control of the Bindy Johal crime group from Manny Buttar. The Khela crime group was suspected in several Lower Mainland murders and had been the target of weapons seizures by the police. Recently, Mr. Khela was convicted of first degree murder."
Under "The incident" section, the reasons for judgment state:
"On the evening of September 18, 1998, Derek was out with Kelly Buttar and some of his friends. He had not returned home for his 10:00 p.m. curfew. Mr. Smith and Ms Tim had an argument earlier in the evening and each had gone out separately …
"Ms Tim went to bed, but in the early morning hours of September 19, 1998, around 2:30-2:35 a.m., she was wakened by a noise. She noticed that Derek was still not home. She called his cell phone which came on automatically. She heard people noise in the background. She said hello and asked if Derek was there but received no reply. She heard a voice in the background that she recognized as Bal Buttar. She then heard Derek's voice, which sounded distressed. She heard Derek say, "Oh my God", followed by Bal Buttar's voice ordering him to "Get out". The cell phone then went dead. Ms Tim tried to phone Derek back but could only reach the cell phone's recorded message. She drove to the Buttar residence but the house was dark. She returned home.
"When Mr. Smith arrived home Ms Tim pretended to be asleep in bed. She did not tell Mr. Smith about the cell phone call until the morning. Mr. Smith spent that day searching for his son. He spoke with Mrs. Buttar who told him that she would "pray for his son's soul". By evening the family knew something was seriously wrong and they reported their son missing to the Richmond RCMP.
"At about midnight, two members of the Richmond RCMP arrived at the plaintiffs' home. They advised the family that Derek's body had been discovered at about 7:00 a.m that morning underneath the Queensborough Bridge in the City of New Westminster. He had been shot twice in the head, the victim of an execution style shooting. NWPS concluded that he had been murdered shortly after Ms Tim's call to his cell phone.
"No criminal charges have been laid in regard to Derek's murder but at the time NWPS had four suspects: Bal Buttar, the primary suspect, who was himself a victim of an attempted murder and is now a blind quadriplegic; Kelly Buttar, who was murdered in 2001; Manny Buttar, who is no longer a suspect and whose whereabouts are unknown; and a fourth suspect, believed to have been with Bal Buttar at the time of the murder, and who has since been murdered. Although most of the suspects are now either deceased or incapacitated, at the time the plaintiffs were considered to be at a very high risk for future violence and/or intimidation."
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