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The Brampton Guardian
Cabbie accused in hit-and-run was arrested at autobody shop
Tuesday November 18 2008
Pam Douglas
A Brampton cab driver accused in a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run on the weekend was arrested Monday night in a local autobody shop, according to Peel police.

Police seized a licenced cab and arrested Makhan Lachhar, 64, of Brampton before any work could be done on the damaged vehicle, according to investigators.

“We were able to preserve vital evidence,” said Peel Const. Wayne Patterson.

The key to finding the hit-and-run suspect was the outpouring of tips from the public, police said, and the timing was crucial. If the information had been held onto for another few hours, evidence would have been lost, police said.

Police said from the start that information poured in from the public, an indication that residents were not willing to turn a blind eye to the death Saturday morning of Mandeep Bhagtana, 40, a Brampton father of two.

An officer was kept busy answering the telephone from Saturday afternoon through all day Sunday, according to Patterson.

Bhagtana was on foot, crossing six-lane Bovaird Drive east of Conestoga Drive just before 6 a.m. when he was hit by a vehicle that then took off, according to police.

Family members said they do not know why he was out for a walk, but investigators speculate he may have been heading to the plaza on the north side of the road. He was not far from home.

It was dark and raining at the time, and no one reported seeing the collision. However, several 9-1-1 calls were made to report a man lying in the westbound lanes of Bovaird Drive East.

Bhagtana, who works in the Royal Bank’s insurance division, was rushed to Brampton Civic Hospital but died of his injuries.

Monday, police were in the process of contacting car manufacturers to confirm their suspicion that the suspect vehicle was a white Impala. They were led to that belief from examining paint chips and a driver’s sideview mirror found at the scene.

The cab seized by investigators Monday is a white 2005 Chevrolet Impala.

Family members of the victim were told of the arrest soon after.

“We are pleased with the outcome,” said Bhupinder Multani, Bhagtana’s brother-in-law.
Bhagtana was a sports and fitness buff who leaves behind a wife,  14-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.

A private funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at Benisasia Funeral Home in Mississauga.

Lachhar, who also lives in the area where the collision occurred, was held in jail overnight, but was released on $51,000 bail Tuesday and prohibited from driving pending the outcome of the criminal charges. He has been charged with fail to remain causing death and careless driving.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Peel police, Major Collision Bureau, at 905-453-2121, ext. 3710, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
With files from Torstar News Network