Canadian Mountie charged for killing wife active in Sikh community

EDMONTON - An Asian origin constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has been charged with the murder of his wife, who was active in the Canadian Sikh community.

Constable Tarith Sehmbi, a 36-year-old Mountie with seven years of experience on the force, was charged Sunday with second-degree murder in the slaying of his wife. Her name was not released.

Neighbours near the couple’s home reported hearing what sounded like gunshots the morning earlier. Shortly after, police arrived to find the body of a woman inside the home.

The Globe and Mail quoted Clifton Purvis, executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, as saying that Constable Sehmbi is expected to appear in court on Monday.

Meanwhile, news of the incident left local community members reeling.

“He wanted to do a lot for the community,” said Sukhdev Dhillon, president of Radio Punjabi, an Edmonton radio station that caters to the South Asian community.

“When I heard what had happened, I was shocked,” he added.

Constable Sehmbi worked in the traffic services division at an Edmonton-area detachment, and would give audiences advice on everything from dealing with traffic tickets, to tips on obtaining a driver’s licence.

Dhillon said he had been to the Sehmbi household a number of times, and called them a “very nice family.”

The couple had two young boys in elementary school, Dhillon said, and his wife worked at a local Starbucks coffee shop.

Purvis said the couple’s two children weren’t inside the home in the hours leading up to the woman’s death.

Peter Hourihan, the assistant commissioner in charge of criminal operations with the RCMP, has stated the children are being cared for by family members. (ANI)