2 men from B.C.’s Lower Mainland named among Canada’s most-wanted

Two men from the Lower Mainland have made the list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives. Here’s why.

Two men from B.C.’s Lower Mainland have been added to a list of Canada’s 25 most-wanted fugitives.

Omid Mashinchi and Gurkirat Singh were among those named Wednesday on a list from the BOLO Program. BOLO, which stands for “be on the lookout,” pays rewards of up to $100,000 for information leading to arrests and convictions.

Mashinchi, 43, is wanted in connection with a large drug operation in Vancouver.

“Currently he’s wanted for conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, as well as numerous firearm and drug trafficking charges,” Vancouver Police Detective Const. Mike Morris told CTV News on Wednesday. “We suspect him of drug trafficking at a large-scale level, kilogram level.”

Singh is number 16 on the list.

The 26-year-old is wanted by the Delta Police Department in connection with the sexual assault of a child last year.

“This significantly impacted the life of a young person on an incident that happened that night, and the predatory nature of it,” said Delta Police Insp. Dave Vaughan-Smith. “We felt that it was an important case to solve and it’s important that he’s held accountable.”

The recent arrest of Rabih Alkhalil was touted as a success for BOLO.

He’s a former member of the most-wanted list who escaped the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in 2022 while being held on murder charges – before he was arrested in Qatar last month.

“My message to all of the 25 fugitives on the list today is simple,” said B.C. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald during a news conference Wednesday. “The odds are not in your favour. Call a lawyer, come up with a plan to surrender, and just like Rabih Alkhalil – your time on the run is over.”

The arrest of Cody Casey – another former member of the list – was also highlighted.

“The recent apprehension of Cody Casey, who is third on Canada’s most-wanted list, is a prime example of the success of the BOLO program,” said Vancouver Police Supt. Dale Weidman. “The major financial rewards provided by the BOLO Program heighten the public’s interest and keep these public offenders in the public eye.”

At the news conference in Vancouver, police officers wore hyper-realistic masks depicting the suspects on the wanted list.

More than half of the fugitives featured on BOLO’s most-wanted list since 2018 have been arrested.