Victoria police arrested two people and seized stolen property after executing a search warrant at a business in the Burnside Gorge Neighbourhood.
The Victoria Police Department offered a “behind the scenes” look during a “tweet-a-long” on Thursday during the Strike Force operation that targeted a business which they believed was buying and re-selling of stolen property.
A slow and methodical search continues. Different investigative techniques have led Strike Force to believe that many of these items, along with others in the business, are stolen property meant for re-sale. #VicPDLive #whosnext #yyj pic.twitter.com/BYohSAobyF
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) June 4, 2020
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Around 7:45 a.m., VicPD tweeted their warrant had been approved and “we’re briefing on the warrant execution.” According to police, each warrant begins with an extensive background investigation, a risk assessment and a detailed plan to keep everyone safe.
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While Strike Force leads the operation, other units help support those officers.
Just after 8 a.m., police served the warrant to the business and arrested a man and a woman for property related offences and laundering the proceeds of crime.
The search involves up to eight officers and take a “systematic approach,” while documenting the contents of the business and property related to crime.
Gurjit Purewal, 50, and Manjeet Purewal, 41, now faces charges of trafficking stolen property, possession of stolen property and laundering the proceeds of crime.
This search is focused in the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood. According to police, this neighbourhood has seen an increase in property crime over recent weeks. A slow and methodical search, along with different investigative techniques have led police to believe a number of items in the business were stolen and meant for resale.
VicPD says this is a “fencing operation,” meaning a business acts as a fence or middleman, which takes in stolen property from thieves and resells it for a profit.
kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca
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