A Surrey businessman was lit on fire in an alleged assault last Friday. He continues to be treated for serious injuries, his family says.
According to CBC, Rahat Rao, originally from Pakistan, was identified by family as the victim in the public attack. Rao is the owner of SNS Currency Exchange near Surrey Central station, and has been living in the city for more than 30 years.
The exact circumstances of the attack on Rao are still unclear, but Surrey RCMP said on August 2, 2024, at approximately 1:10 pm, they received a report of a serious assault in 10200 block of City Parkway. Frontline officers attended the scene and located the victim, who suffered serious injuries and was transported to the hospital.
Surrey RCMP confirmed that the suspect allegedly assaulted the victim by throwing an accelerant on his body and proceeded to light him on fire. The victim suffered serious burns to his body. The victim remains in hospital and is recovering.
The suspect then proceeded to steal a vehicle and fled the area in a stolen White Mini Cooper with black stripes and black rims bearing British Columbia License Plate: D80745.
Police later informed that the stolen vehicle was recovered with the assistance of public. Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit has conduct of the investigation and officers are working to explore all avenues of the investigation, including the determination of the motive of this assault.
The suspect is still on the lose. The suspect is described as a young male, approximately 25-30 years old, with a moustache, wearing black pants, a black grey hoodie with black arms, and a green baseball cap with “Cariboo” written on it.
Zeeshan Wahla, a mechanical engineer and the BC Conservative candidate for Surrey City Centre, was inside SNS Currency Exchange in Whalley when Rahat Rao was doused in accelerant and set on fire.
“I tried my level best to save his life,” Wahla told Global News in an interview Tuesday.
Wahla said he ran after Rao, grabbing a large blanket from a homeless man who happened to be outside the business. Together with a female bystander, Wahla said they tried to put the flames out.
Elenore Sturko, anther candidate of BC Conservative shared on her social media platform, “So proud of @zeewahla84 who jumped into action to help save the victim of a brutal attack in Surrey. I’m also grateful to the other bystanders and first responders who assisted the badly injured victim.”
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the suspect or if you have any information regarding the incident contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file 2024-113412
If you see the suspect or the stolen vehicle, do not approach and call 911.
