A Canadian court has sentenced Indian-origin defendant Balraj Basra to 25 years in prison for first-degree murder and arson in the killing of Vishal Walia at the University Golf Club in Vancouver in October 2022. The conviction makes Basra the third and final person held responsible in the case, which investigators described as a coordinated and violent attack followed by an attempted getaway and vehicle arson meant to destroy evidence. His sentencing follows earlier judgments issued against co-accused individuals Iqbal Kang and Deandre Baptiste, both of whom entered guilty pleas.
Court records show that the three men targeted 38-year-old Walia and shot him at close range near the University of British Columbia. Law enforcement responded quickly after witnesses reported gunfire. Minutes later, authorities discovered a burning vehicle linked to the suspects, indicating a planned effort to cover their tracks. The suspects attempted to flee in a second car but were identified and intercepted by police shortly afterward through coordinated work across multiple agencies.
The two accomplices had already been sentenced earlier in the year. Kang received a 17-year term for murder and an additional concurrent five-year term for arson, while Baptiste was handed a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 17 years. Their convictions, along with Basra’s, bring closure to a high-profile case that drew significant attention in British Columbia due to its location, the open-air nature of the crime, and the swift police response that led to arrests within minutes.
Investigators credited cooperation across departments, including the Vancouver Police Department, British Columbia Highway Patrol, and the RCMP, for rapidly apprehending the suspects and preserving evidence. Police leadership noted that the case shows how organized criminal violence crosses jurisdictions and requires coordinated intervention to prevent further public harm.
