New Westminster, B.C. – The B.C. Prosecution Service has approved charges against a Surrey man in connection with three separate sexual assault incidents that occurred on Metro Vancouver’s transit system in 2024.
Rajinder Singh Chahal, 55, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault following an investigation by the Transit Police General Investigation Unit. All three alleged incidents occurred on busy SkyTrain routes, involving inappropriate physical contact with female passengers.
The first reported assault happened on January 25, 2024, aboard a crowded Canada Line train. A woman contacted police after a man allegedly made inappropriate physical contact with her before she exited the train.
The second incident took place on April 11, 2024, also on the Canada Line, when a witness reported seeing a man standing suspiciously close to a teenage girl. The man allegedly leaned into the girl inappropriately, prompting the witness to alert authorities.
The third incident occurred on May 9, 2024, on the Expo Line. A woman reported feeling someone press against her multiple times while standing. When she turned to confront the individual, he fled the train at the next stop.
Transit Police investigators were able to connect all three assaults to the same suspect, ultimately identifying Chahal as the perpetrator. He has since been released with strict conditions, including restrictions on his access to public transit, while he awaits a court appearance.
“Reducing sexual offenses is a Transit Police operational priority,” said Sergeant Dustin Szakacs. “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.”
Transit Police continue to urge anyone who experiences or witnesses inappropriate behavior on public transit to report it immediately.