MONTREAL — American authorities have arrested one of Quebec's 10 most wanted men, Montreal police said Wednesday.
Harinder Singh Cheema, 36, had been on the lam for more than seven years and was being sought on a second-degree murder charge in the death of his 29-year-old female partner.
Police said he was arrested in the San Francisco area Wednesday.
Cheema was charged after the woman was found dead in a Montreal apartment on Christmas Day 2007, one day after he was seen hastily leaving the residence.
The body of Cheema's wife, Gurpreet Kaur, 29, was found wrapped in bedsheets on a balcony of the couple’s home on Deguire Street in St-Laurent area of Montreal on Christmas Eve in 2007.
A police investigation found that Cheema was seen leaving the apartment on the morning of December 24. He dropped off his children -- only three weeks and 18 months old -- at the home of his wife's best friend.
Police said Cheema fled to Toronto, where he stayed with his girlfriend before flying to Vancouver with a ticket she bought for him. His whereabouts were unknown from there and a nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest in 2008.
Police said they learned that Cheema could be in the San Francisco area and had been working with the authorities concerned to have him arrested. Cheema will soon be extradited to Quebec, according to police.
While Cheema is an Indian national while his wife had permanent Canadian citizenship.
