Metro Vancouver homicide investigators are making a public appeal for information in the disappearance of a man they believe may be the victim of foul play.
Parminder Rai, 33, was last seen by a friend in the area of his home near University Crescent and Tower Road on Burnaby Mountain on June 4.
His family reported him missing on Monday, and Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Sgt. Frank Jang said investigators have since determined he was known to police and had ties to gangs and the drug trade.
“Things just didn’t connect. When we checked Mr. Rai’s name, looked further into his background, his interactions with police, we put those things together, we made that determination that this isn’t just somebody going missing,” Jang said.
“We believe that somebody did something to Mr. Rai. Frankly, we believe he may be dead. That’s why we’re involved.”
Rai is described as South Asian, five feet 10 inches tall, and 185 pounds. He drives a black Honda Accord with the British Columbia licence plate MB231R.
Jang said it was too early to conclude whether Rai’s disappearance was connected to the Lower Mainland gang conflict, but that preliminary investigation did not suggest it was.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts or who recalls seeing him in the area of Simon Fraser University or driving his Honda is asked to contact homicide investigators.