Police have laid murder charges against a man in connection to the deaths of two women at a Penbrooke home earlier this month.
Hari Pal, 52, of Calgary, is now charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault in connection to the stabbing deaths of his estranged wife and her friend.
Police were called to a home in the 6400 block of Penbrooke Drive S.E. at about 6:30 p.m., on Sunday, May 4 for reports of a stabbing.
One woman was found deceased at the home and a second was taken to hospital where she later died.
A third woman was transported to hospital in non-life threatening condition and was treated and released.
The suspect fled the scene but police were able to track him down a short time later and he was arrested.
He was taken to hospital with self-inflicted injuries from ingesting some kind of liquid.
The victims were identified as Fahmida Velji-Visram, 29, and Sanjula Devi, 36, both of Calgary, and an autopsy determined they both died from stab wounds.
Pal was charged on Thursday while in hospital where he is being treated for his injuries and has been in police custody since his arrest.
Pal was the estranged husband of Devi.
Farouk Velji is Fahmida Velji-Visram’s brother and says the family is putting Pal’s fate in the hands of the justice system
“The charges have been laid. It’s better that no charges being laid that’s for sure and I guess we’re just going to let the justice system do its job,” said Velji. “We’ll make sure he spends his life in jail.”
Velji says all they have now is their memories.
“It’s tough. We’re mourning and there’s times when you’re just driving in the car and you just bust out crying. She was our world and now our world is gone.”
The case is scheduled to go before the courts on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.
