Angry in the Great White North

From an email reporting on Indian-community radio reports:

Indian radio here in the Vancouver area report that Paul Cheema was arrested today in the process of attempting to board a flight to London. They also report speculation that a prayer service this afternoon organized by Cheema's family was a ruse designed to provide cover for his departure...he is said not to be at the service.

If true, Paul Cheema was likely on his way to India or Pakistan. And presumably police were closing in on Paul Cheema for playing a role in the murder of his wife Shemina Hirji in an alleged home invasion in Burnaby, British Columbia.

If reports are accurate, more information will likely follow in the English-language press. I'll keep watching and report as it comes in (or pull this back if this turns out not to be true).

Update: News1130 in Vancouver is reporting on Paul Cheema's arrest as well:

Radio India is reporting that Paul Cheema has been arrested in the process of trying to board a flight to London. The station says he was stopped by undercover officers late yesterday afternoon, as a relative was driving him to Vancouver Airport.

Police investigating the death of Cheema's wife Shemina Hirji in a home invasion on July 5th continue to say he is not a suspect in the case. So far they have not responded to News1130's request for comment on this new development.

Expect official word from the police very soon. I'm also looking to see if more family members are arrested.

Update: Police are confirming the arrest:

Burnaby: The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has made a arrest of one male in connection to the July 5, 2007 murder of Shemina Hirji.

On July 14, 2007 members of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team arrested on male in connection to the Murder of Surrey School Principal Shemina Hirji. Police are not able to release the name of the suspect as charges have not yet been laid.

The person arrested is the primary suspect in the investigation. The investigation is continuing to move forward and investigators are still interested in speaking to anyone with information regarding the incident on Mulberry Place in Burnaby on July 5, 2007.

Due to the nature of this investigation police are not speaking on any specifics surrounding who the suspect is, what evidence police have or the manner in which Ms. Hirji was murdered.

If Paul Cheema is the primary suspect, is he also the only suspect? And does that mean the police suspect that the home invasion story is a complete fabrication?

We will certainly learn tomorrow when the person arrested, presumably Paul Cheema, makes a court appearance to answer to the charges, which will likely include the charge of murdering Shemina Hirji. Given that we are told that this suspect was arrested on his way out of the country, bail is probably not going to be granted. Especially if it is also confirmed that there was active help from family members to aid this suspect.

We might also learn just how long the police suspected Paul Cheema, assuming further reports confirm that he indeed has been arrested. My guess is that suspicion about his role figured in the investigation right from the beginning. Police made a decision very early on not to reveal the autopsy results to anyone, including the family members. And that decision spoke volumes about where the police interest was focused, despite the official line that Paul Cheema was not a suspect.

Update: More information from the Vancouver Sun, with extra focus on Paul Cheema's absence from a memorial service for Shemina Hirji, and the silence from the Cheema family when asked about this:

Paul Cheema, whose new bride was murdered one week after they were wed, has been arrested by RCMP in Burnaby, B.C.

RCMP confirmed Sunday afternoon they have arrested a single, prime suspect in the killing of Shemina Hirji, 40, but would not release a name.

However, The Vancouver Sun has learned Cheema is in custody undergoing questioning.

He did not attend a memorial service for Hirji, hosted by his family, which was held Sunday at a Sikh temple in East Vancouver. Family members refused to explain why he did not show up for the service for Hirji, who was Ismaili Muslim.

It is too early to reach a conclusion on the reports that allege that the memorial service for Shemina Hirji was used as a way to cover Paul Cheema's getway attempt. But if it was, then we can surmise it was planned ahead of time for this purpose. Why? Because it was supposed to distract police while Paul Cheema was going to the airport to catch a flight to London. That ticket had to be purchased ahead of time, especially if this was a connecting flight to India or Pakistan, and that means the memorial service had to scheduled at that time for this purpose. And if that turns out to be true, then people in both in Sikh and Muslim community are going to be wondering just what sort of people would cynically stage a memorial service for a murdered woman, pretend to weep for her, but are really putting on a show to help that same woman's murderer escape. If this creepy aspect of today's events turns out to be true, expect the family of Shemina Hirji to have some strong words for Paul Cheema's family. Hopefully that won't lead to more violence.

Update: The man arrested, reported by some media outlets to be Paul Cheema, has been released by police, but remains the primary suspect:

Police have now released a man who was arrested in Surrey, B.C., in the slaying of a school principal.

Corporal Dale Carr with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the man is a primary suspect in the death of Shemina Hirji, who was killed during a home invasion in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby earlier this month.

Carr says the man was released without charges and police can't reveal his identity because charges have not been laid.

Curious that the released man is still described as the primary suspect. Does this mean charges are pending?

We'll see.

Update: There is no question now that the man arrested and identified as the primary suspect in the murder of Shemina Hirji was indeed husband Paul Cheema:

But media reports widely identified him as Paul Cheema, Hirji's husband.

A Canadian broadcaster aired video of Cheema leaving a police station in Surrey on Sunday. When he spotted reporters, Cheema began running with the cameras following him. Cheema refused comment.

I wonder if Shemina Hirji had a chance to run away from whomever killed her.

Meanwhile, Paul Cheema will find it more difficult to run. CBC News reports "steps" have been taken to ensure Paul Cheema does not leave the Vancouver area.

Update: Police are describing the man they arrested (known to be Paul Cheema) as the only suspect, meaning they have rejected the home invasion story as a complete fabrication:

RCMP Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said yesterday the man was taken to the Surrey RCMP detachment and is the "primary and only suspect."

I guess that means the police do not believe there were "home invaders" who were really accomplices of Paul Cheema. It does make one wonder about just how clever Paul Cheema really is. Did he not realize that a story about home invaders and a violent struggle leading to a murder would be something forensic analysis of the crime scene would be able to confirm or refute?

If police believe that Paul Cheema was the only person present when Shemina Hirji was murdered, then the cause of death is going to be interesting. If Paul Cheema used a knife, as he threatened to do when he assaulted his ex-fiance in Winnipeg, then blood evidence would be important. Perhaps the search warrants on the Cheema residence were to collect clothing.

And one more thing. If Paul Cheema was the only person in the house, were the wounds he received that he claimed were inflicted by home invaders actually defensive wounds inflicted by Shemina Hirji? Again, forensics can make that determination pretty conclusively. Or were Paul Cheema's wounds self-inflicted? When Paul Cheema was arrested after kidnapping Paramjit Singh at knifepoint, he claimed that he was the kidnap victim. He even had a cut to prove it. It turned out to be a shallow and insignificant cut to the back of his left hand, the sort of wound a squeamish right-handed person would suffer if he was going to cut himself but didn't want it to hurt too much.

It will be interesting to learn what sort of wounds Paul Cheema had -- defensive wounds inflicted by Shemina Hirji or a shallow cut on his left hand inflicted by himself.

Update: At least one part of the story is being denied by police. Paul Cheema was initially reported to have been arrested while on his way to the airport. Police say that is not true:

Radio India, a B.C.-based Punjabi radio station, reported that Mr. Cheema had a ticket for a flight to London, when he was taken into custody. He was being driven to the airport by a relative in a grey BMW when he was stopped by police, Harpreet Singh, a radio talk show host who broke the news on his show, said in an interview. But Cpl. Carr said the Radio India report of the arrest on the way to the airport was incorrect.

Did Paul Cheema have an airline ticket to London and then points east? Police have said they have taken steps to ensure that Paul Cheema remains in the Vancouver area. Members of the Sikh community have told the media that Paul Cheema was preparing to leave the country. That information would have forced police to move in on Paul Cheema.

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