Shakiel Basra arrested after 3 months on the run

Since September, Delta resident Shakiel Basra has been one of Metro Vancouver’s most wanted men, facing a series of charges for two violent attacks.

And he’s alleged to have a role in the raging gang conflict that continued for several months in Surrey and North Delta this year.

Now the 21-year-old is behind bars after Surrey RCMP picked him up in Chilliwack Thursday afternoon.

Surrey RCMP used both its High Risk Target Team and Strike Force Target Team to make the arrest without incident.

“This arrest and capture is a continuation of our relentless efforts to remove these individuals from our streets and bring them before the courts,” Surrey RCMP Supt. Manny Mann said. “I would like to thank our law enforcement partners and Crime Stoppers for their support, as well as the public and the media for their assistance.”

Crime Stoppers has offered a $5,000 reward leading to Basra’s arrest. He is expected to make his first appearance in Surrey Provincial Court Friday.

He was charged in September with attempted murder and intentionally discharging a firearm in connection to a shooting in on the grounds of Strawberry Hill elementary school.

While on the lam, he was allegedly involved in a kidnapping and extortion in Vancouver on Oct. 10.

He was charged with five counts in connection to the Vancouver incident.

Basra’s co-accused in both the Surrey and Vancouver attacks is Amarpreet Samra. He  who was taken into custody in October while Basra managed to evade authorities for another two months.

When Basra was originally charged in September, Surrey RCMP said he had connections in Alberta and Saskatchewan and may have left B.C.

But sources told The Vancouver Sun that the young man with gang links remained on the Lower Mainland, moving and changing vehicles frequently as police hunted for him.

Mounties first identified Basra last April as being involved in the conflict that led to dozens of shootings between two gangs involved in low-level drug trafficking.

He had refused to cooperate with police investigating the shootings.