April 15, 2025

Charges Approved Against Man Arrested on Multiple Sexual Assaults

New Westminster – Charges have been approved by the B.C. Prosecution Service in relation to three alleged sexual assaults that occurred on board the transit system last year in Vancouver.

The first incident allegedly occurred on January 25, 2024, when a man was reported to have made inappropriate physical contact with a woman while on board a crowded Canada Line train. The woman left the train and called police.

The second incident occurred on April 11, 2024, when a witness saw a man standing suspiciously close to an unidentified teenage passenger on board a Canada Line train. When the man allegedly leaned into the girl inappropriately, the witness called police.

The third incident occurred on May 9, 2024, on board a crowded Expo Line train. A woman felt someone pressing into her numerous times as she was standing in the train. She turned around to confront the suspect, who fled the train at the next stop.

Detectives from the Transit Police General Investigation Unit investigated each incident and were able to link all three incidents to the same suspect who has been identified as 55-year-old Rajinder Singh Chahal from Surrey. Chahal has now been charged with three counts of Sexual Assault, and was released pending his court appearance with strict conditions, including those that restrict his access to transit.

“Reducing sexual offenses is a Transit Police operational priority. Since the impact of these reprehensible acts can be devastating and have a lifelong impact on those who experience them, our officers will work on a file as long as is necessary to ensure that anyone who would commit these kinds of crimes on the transit system is caught and held accountable.” – Sergeant Dustin Szakacs

Anyone who experiences or witnesses a crime on or near transit is asked to report it to Transit Police. Call 604.515.8300 or text 87.77.77 for non-emergency. Always call 9-1-1 in an emergency.    

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