Ripudaman Singh Malik killing has hallmarks of professional 'hit': B.C.'s former top cop

The killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik has all the hallmarks of a professional murder-for-hire, according to British Columbia's former solicitor general.

The killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik has all the hallmarks of a professional murder-for-hire, according to British Columbia's former solicitor general.

Kash Heed made the comments during an interview with CTV News on Saturday, while discussing the challenges he believes investigators will face in finding Malik’s killer -- or killers.

Malik was gunned down Thursday morning outside his Surrey business. Homicide investigators said a white Honda CRV pulled up more than two hours earlier, and that the occupants waited for Malik. The vehicle was later found burned in an alley nearby.

"These are the hallmarks of a hit person, or hit persons, doing this type of work, and it's quite common,” Kash Heed said, referencing the similarities to other shootings that have occurred in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, some linked to the ongoing gang conflict.

"It's going to be a difficult investigation, and the RCMP and other law enforcement agencies are really going to have to step up their game and try and find a confidential informant,” Heed said, adding that he believes police will have to find ways to guarantee the safety of anyone who assists with the investigation.

“There are people that will know what occurred to Mr. Malik a couple of days ago in Surrey, B.C.,” Heed said. “But they're not going to come forward if, in fact, they fear for their safety.”

Malik is known to most as one of two men acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombings. But the 75-year-old has a long history within both the Surrey business and Sikh communities.