CTV.ca News Staff
Police have detained the husband of Manjit Panghali, a popular B.C. school teacher whose charred remains were found four months ago, and led him out of his house in handcuffs.
Police would neither confirm nor deny on Saturday whether Mukhtiar Panghali was arrested or simply taken into police custody for questioning on Friday.
The authorities will release a media advisory on Monday.
Harpreet Singh of Radio India said sources in the Indo-Canadian community told him Delta police picked up the suspect at about 5:30 p.m. PT.
"From our sources he was taken up by the police at 5:30 p.m. today
and because police are not confirming it . . . the charges will be laid
Monday," Singh was quoted as saying.
"I think the feeling was probably eventually someone would be brought to justice for what happened but from myself personally I never thought it would be M.P.," said Brian Kingshott, another neighbour.
Panghali's remains were found in suburban Vancouver on Oct. 23.
A 30-year-old mother of a three-year-old daughter, Panghali was four months pregnant with her second child when she was killed.
The popular Grade 1 teacher at North Ridge Elementary School in Surrey, Panghali was last seen on Wednesday, Oct. 18, when she left home to attend a local prenatal yoga class.
She never arrived at her destination.
At a news conference shortly after her disappearance, her husband tearfully pleaded for anyone with information about her disappearance to step forward.
The investigation has turned an eye on relations between the Panghalis and their extended family.
Reports have alleged that there was tension between Manjit and her brother-in-law Sukhvinder.
One neighbour told CTV News, "they kicked the brother-in-law out and she (Manjit) was like, I get my own house back."
Sukhvinder was already facing criminal harassment charges in connection with another woman at the time of the murder.
Although he continues to live there, Mukhtiar Panghali sold the family home on Jan. 3 and has yet to return to his job as a high-school physics teacher.
He had planned to relocate to Victoria. This dismayed Manjit's parents, who wanted more access to their granddaughter.
Mukhtiar has admitted he did not report his wife missing until about 26 hours after he last saw her.
He said he wanted to make sure she wasn't staying with family members before he contacted police.
With a report from CTV's Dave Lefebvre and files from the Canadian Press