National

Canadian-Sikh cop who died by suicide was under probe for texts to minor

Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 Jul, 2023 11:37 AM

A 26-year-old off-duty Canadian-Sikh police officer, who fatally shot himself earlier this year, was facing investigation for sending inappropriate texts to a 15-year-old girl, recently unsealed court documents found.

Dilbag 'Dylan' Hothi, an officer with the Surrey Police Service, was suspended in August 2022 amid a breach of trust investigation before he took his life in February.

According to newly unsealed court documents, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were probing Hothi for sending inappropriate texts to a teenager, CBC News reported.

The girl told investigators she met Hothi when he responded to a call to help her friend a few days earlier, and they exchanged numbers so she could keep him updated about her friend's whereabouts, documents revealed.

She said Hothi asked her to meet on two separate occasions and at one point asked her whether she gets "wild" after drinking alcohol.

Hothi also told the girl that he gets "wild and horny" when he drinks, the document said, citing the teenager's statement to the RCMP.

The girl went to Surrey RCMP on August 14, 2022, and showed them the texts that night, the documents said, following which Hothi was arrested and his phones were seized on August 16.

An analyst who examined screenshots in September said the officer and the teenager exchanged 40 texts between August 11 and 12, the CBC News reported.

On August 17, he was released on a promise to appear in court in November, along with an order not to contact the teen, and six months later, he committed suicide.

The Surrey Police Service declined to comment on the unsealed documents.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

War on drugs redux: U.S. cracks down on fentanyl

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a continental strategy for dealing with fentanyl will be a key priority during the meetings. The U.S. has already embarked on an aggressive law-enforcement approach, seizing more than 2,200 kilograms of fentanyl in the last month — virtually all of it coming across the southern border.

War on drugs redux: U.S. cracks down on fentanyl

Federal workers to strike if no deal by tonight

Mediated contract negotiations between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the government began in early April and continued through the weekend in what the union describes as the government's last chance to reach a deal.

Federal workers to strike if no deal by tonight

Officers to testify at inquest of B.C. man's death

Myles Gray, who was 33, died in August 2015, shortly after a beating by seven officers, leaving him with a broken eye socket, a crushed voice box, a ruptured testicle and other injuries. The inquest began Monday in Burnaby, B.C., with testimony from six of the more than 40 witnesses expected to appear over 10 days.

Officers to testify at inquest of B.C. man's death

Legal door-to-door pot delivery launches in B.C.

Uber Canada says, starting immediately, B.C. residents over the age of 19 can use the Uber Eats app to order marijuana from local, licensed retailers. The statement from Uber Eats says its delivery workers won't be involved because certified staff from the cannabis retailer will instead deliver the order to the customer and verify the recipient's age and sobriety.

Legal door-to-door pot delivery launches in B.C.

B.C. toxic drug deaths in 2023 approach record

It says that's the second highest total ever recorded over the first three months of a calendar year, behind only 2022 when 599 people died. The figures also show that 2,314 deaths due to toxic drugs occurred last year, making the annual toll the deadliest on record since a public health emergency was declared in 2016.

B.C. toxic drug deaths in 2023 approach record

IHIT called in after a body found in Pitt Meadows

Ridge Meadows RCMP are confirming that a man was located deceased in Pitt Meadows. On Monday, at around noon police located a man’s body in a wooded area west of Golden Ears bridge. The police investigation has revealed this incident to be suspicious in nature.