Home, cars of Coquitlam murder victim once faced seizure as proceeds of crime

Feb 2 2022, 5:21 pm

The ex-husband of a real estate agent, who was stabbed to death in a Coquitlam parking lot last week, once fought against having the couple’s house and cars taken by the government because they were deemed proceeds of crime.

Court documents suggest Ramina Shah, the 32-year-old mother identified as the victim in the deadly January 27 attack, and her spouse Bahman Djebelibak (also known as Bobby Shah) faced property seizures back in 2018.

BC’s Civil Forfeiture Office tried to confiscate the couple’s seven-bedroom, $2.8 million Maple Ridge house and several luxury vehicles because it said there was no way the couple could have afforded them without using money obtained through crime.

The Civil Forfeiture Office later dismissed the claim after a judge said the raid violated the couple’s Charter rights. A 2021 court document said the defendants’ luxury vehicles would be returned and house seizure halted. The Civil Forfeiture Office would not comment on the case.

The home is now solely owned by Shah’s ex-husband, according to land title documents.

Maple Ridge

The couple’s $2.8 million Maple Ridge home faced seizure in 2018 because the court once classified it as proceeds of crime. The Civil Forfeiture Office ended up dismissing the claim. (Google Street View)

 

 

The court proceedings say that Djebelibak used false identities and persuaded numerous individuals to cash fraudulent cheques on his behalf between May 2015 and January 2018.

He apparently asked victims to provide him with cash, gift cards, or various consumer goods, including jewellery, furniture, and other household items, in exchange for the cheques, which would later be returned as “non-sufficient funds.”

In March 2018, the RCMP raided a business owned by Djebelibak and Shah called Hollywood Vape Labs in Port Coquitlam.

Hollywood vape labs

The Coquitlam building where Hollywood Vape Labs was located. (Google Street View)

During the search, officers discovered various expensive items, including cellphones, laptops,  jewellery, designer sunglasses, blank cheques and bank cards in the names of other people, and other items that victims had reported purchasing for Djebelibak. They also found a credit card machine and printer, as well as money transfer papers.

Police also found drugs in a 2006 Pontiac G6 parked at the property. Inside a hidden compartment, officers found a kilogram of cocaine, two kilograms of fentanyl, and other agents used to cut cocaine. The court documents say the vehicle was registered in the name of one of Djebelibak’s victims.

At the couple’s home, officers seized a motorcycle, a Land Rover, and Porsche during the execution of the search warrants. The Civil Forfeiture Office also suggested the home itself was purchased with proceeds of criminal activity since Shah and Djebelibak both reported having incomes of less than $30,000.

In addition, officers found two axes on the property — one of which was kept in the couple’s bedroom.

During the court proceedings, the defendants said certain police conduct was in violation of their rights and denied they did anything illegal. Both Shah and Djebelibak were listed as defendants, along with another individual named Majidreza Mirhosseini.

“The Defendant pleads that an order of forfeiture pursuant to s. 3 of the Civil Forfeiture Act should not be ordered, as the Defendant has not engaged in any unlawful activity at all, or in any unlawful activity that has resulted in financial gain in any form or violence or harm to the public.”

Judge David St. Pierre agreed the search violated Shah and Djebelibak’s rights in his February 2021 decision, saying police seized numerous items not outlined in their warrant, gave select items back to victims without following proper procedure, and failed to hand over the couple’s infant daughter to Shah in a timely manner during the raid itself.

Shah’s ex-husband had a criminal record and was charged alongside reported gang members

Criminal court records suggest Djebelibak was convicted of several offences between 2000 and 2008, including using counterfeit money, unauthorized use of credit card data, and obstructing a peace officer. He was also charged with several more offences, including fraud and assault.

Two men charged alongside Djebelibak over the years, Sam Abdolhosseinzadeh and Ali Shirazi, both reportedly had ties to Metro Vancouver gangs. Shirazi was sentenced to life in prison in the Philippines in 2018 for apparently trying to set up a drug distribution network. It’s not known if he and Shah, who also went by Ramina Shirazi, were related.

It’s not clear if the events described in the civil forfeiture court documents are connected to Shah’s tragic death or if she’s the same person named in the Supreme Court proceedings.

Sgt. David Lee with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team told Daily Hive Wednesday that police don’t believe Shah’s murder is connected to gangs or criminal activity, based on information they’ve obtained so far.

“IHIT continues to investigate this incident,” he said. “As such, we cannot comment on the leads we are looking at, or the direction the investigation is going. This would jeopardize the investigation.”

The mother of three was attacked sometime between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm on January 27 in a Coquitlam parkade near her office. She was transported to the hospital but died of her injuries.

coquitlam stabbing

Location of the incident (Submitted)

Mother of three alluded to a new life in social media posts

It appears that Shah had left her marriage sometime between 2018 and her death. The couple appeared in family court between 2021 and 2022, according to documents.

In recent posts on a personal Instagram account, Shah seems to have written about being a single mother and beginning a “new life.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ramina S (@rambles.xo)

The account also showed a foreboding message before Shah died about moving on and eschewing revenge or “negative energy.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ramina S (@rambles.xo)

According to an online fundraiser set up in her memory, Shah was the mother of three children aged two, four, and five.

“Anyone who met her instantly fell in love,” the fundraiser organizer wrote. “She was full of life, had a smile that lit up any room, and a laugh that took away all of your problems … She was a leading example as a parent, and it showed as her kids love her more than anything in the world.”

ramina shah and kids

Memorial For A Mother Of Three/GoFundMe

Her employer, Stonehaus Realty, shared a statement with Daily Hive about her life and connection to the company.

“Ramina Shah, a loved member of the Stonehaus family, was the type of person that lit up a room; her presence and outgoing personality were loved by everyone,” the firm said. “She was dedicated to starting her new career in real estate while at the same time being an amazing mom to three young children.”

Police have not yet identified any suspects in the killing, and have asked anyone with knowledge about what happened to contact them at 1-877-551-4448 or by email at [email protected].

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