VANCOUVER — The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says all three men convicted of killing Vishal Walia in 2022 at a golf club on the University of British Columbia grounds have been sentenced.
Police say Deandre Bautista, Balraj Basra and Iqbal Kang were charged with first-degree murder four days after Walia was shot and killed at the university's golf club on Oct. 17, 2022.
Investigators say three men were arrested that morning, less than an hour after police were called to a club on university grounds in Vancouver.
The homicide team says Kang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder last month and was sentenced to 17 years in prison, and Baptiste pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for 17 years.
Police say Basra was found guilty of first-degree murder and arson last week and was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Sergeant Freda Fong of the team says the three men “showed complete disregard for public safety” by fleeing multiple crime scenes.
“We were fortunate that no bystanders were injured in the process,” Fong said. “Organized crime has no borders.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.
