Bhabjit “Bobby” Aujla, who ran the seasonal Phatboy Fireworks business, was reported missing Oct. 1st after he lost control of his Sea-Doo on Alouette Lake. Aujla along with main accused Parminder Basran were arrested 16 years ago as part of the murder of Amandeep Bath, an innocent 27 year old, who was shot while on the phone with the 911 dispatcher and explaining that he had just been assaulted, and was being chased.  Amandeep was shot dead seconds after that.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

VANCOUVER – There was another drowning recently that claimed the life of a young Indo-Canadian man who had a criminal past.

Bhabjit “Bobby” Aujla, who ran the seasonal Phatboy Fireworks business, was reported missing Oct. 1st after he lost control of his Sea-Doo on Alouette Lake. Aujla was arrested 16 years ago along with main accused Parminder Basran as part of the murder of Amandeep Bath, an innocent 27 year old, who was shot while on the phone with the 911 dispatcher and explaining that he had just been assaulted, and was being chased.  Amandeep was shot dead seconds after that.

Aujla and co-accused Basran were arrested again 13 years after Amandeep's murder by IHIT and faced 2nd degree murder charges. The Crown ended up accepting a plea deal from the two of them. Basran pleaded guilty to manslaughter and Aujla was found guilty of assault. Basran received a 6 year jail sentence and Aujla received 6 months (which equated to time served). 

Ridge Meadows RCMP called off the search for Aujla, citing difficult underwater terrain and a lack results from a sonar scan of Alouette Lake. 

Brian Moffat with Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue said the team responded to a call Thursday from the B.C. Ambulance Service about a potential drowning at the north end of the lake.

Moffat said rescuers drove their boat to the north end and found the people who had made the call.

Crews learned Aujla and a woman were riding the Sea-Doo together when they lost control and were thrown off. 

The woman was rescued by a nearby boater, but the man wasn't found. 

Moffat said a crew searched the water until 1 a.m. and resumed their search Friday at the request of RCMP.

The body of Aujla, who was confirmed drowned by friends, has not been found yet.

Victim Amandeep Bath, a 27-year-old accounting student, was shot in the face early the morning of Sept. 24, 2004. He had just called 911 after a confrontation with two men near his Surrey home. Minutes later, one of those men pulled a gun on Bath and pulled the trigger. The single bullet lodged in his brain, killing him.

Both Aujla and Basran took off after Basran shot and killed Bath, although they were arrested shortly after the killing. While they were first charged in 2004, those charges were stayed until 2013, when they were both arrested again.