Victim in the turf war was a United Nations gang associate
Three men have now been convicted and sentenced in connection with the fatal shooting of Vishal Walia on the University Endowment Lands in October 2022, marking the conclusion of a multi-agency investigation that spanned three years.
On the morning of October 17, 2022, University RCMP responded to reports of gunfire at the University Golf Club on University Boulevard. Officers arrived to find Walia suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. Minutes later, a vehicle fire was reported in a laneway on W 20th Avenue in Vancouver, leading Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers to identify a suspect vehicle.
By 10:20 a.m., coordinated efforts between VPD, BC Highway Patrol, and Richmond RCMP led to the arrest of DeAndre Baptiste, Balraj Basra, and Iqbal Kang. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took over the case, working alongside multiple law enforcement units including CFSEU-BC and Integrated Forensic Identification Services.
All three men were initially charged with first-degree murder.
Iqbal Kang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder on September 10, 2025. He received a 17-year prison sentence, with credit for time served, and a concurrent five-year sentence for arson.
DeAndre Baptiste pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 14, 2025. He was sentenced on September 12 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 17 years.
Balraj Basra stood trial beginning September 15, 2025. After closing submissions in October, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and arson on October 23. He was sentenced on October 28 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years, plus a concurrent five-year sentence for arson.
Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT commented on the case, saying, “The three convicted in this case showed a complete disregard for public safety as they fled from multiple crime scenes.”
She added, “Organized crime has no boundaries, and this is a good example of police officers from different departments and units jumping in and working together with the common goal to protect the public.”
According to media reporters, Walia had been associated to several notorious gangsters in the Lower Mainland — including Peter Adiwal, who was shot more than 20 times in 2009 but survived; Gurmit Dhak, who was gunned down in 2012; and Jujhar Khun Khun, convicted of conspiring to kill Red Scorpion gangster Jonathan Bacon in August 2011.
