Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Redbridge councillor pulls out of mayoral race after outrage over wife's past

COUNCILLOR withdrew his nomination for mayor of Redbridge on Tuesday (15) after it emerged that his wife had been involved in the murder of a 21-year-old Sikh man.

Councillor Varinder Singh-Bola’s wife, Mundill Mahil, was imprisoned in 2012 for grievous bodily harm (GBH) after she lured Gagandip Singh to his death.


After she set a “honeytrap” for Singh at her Brighton flat, the TV executive was beaten over the head by Harvinder Shoker and Darren Peters. Singh was then tied up with an electrical

cord, stuffed in the boot of his own car and set on fire in southeast London. It is believed that he was still alive when the car was torched.

After her release from prison, Mahil married Singh-Bola in Kent in 2016.

The Labour councillor made the announcement last week that he would be the mayor-elect, but in response to criticism from the media and members of Singh’s family, later said he would be withdrawing his name for the position of mayor.

“I have taken time and reflected on the events of the past weekend and the concerns of my family, friends and colleagues. I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for

the mayoralty of Redbridge,” he said in a statement.

“The Redbridge mayoralty is a hugely important and distinguished position and one which I do not wish to do undue harm by allowing it to become mired in controversy.”

He added that he stood united with his “beloved wife” Mahil.

In response to Singh-Bola’s withdrawal, the leader of the Redbridge Labour Group, councillor Jas Athwal, said “I accept Cllr Singh-Bola’s decision to withdraw his nomination, we will now move on and look at further candidates for mayor of Redbridge in

2019/20”.

The victim’s family, including his sister Amandip, publicly expressed outrage last week at the prospect of Mahil’s position in public life.

“[Mahil] has only been out [of prison] for four years and is now going to be a mayoress, through her husband, but will be afforded as much respect as him,” Amandip, 26, said. “She will be on his arm at official functions, where she’ll no doubt launch a charm offensive with the gathered dignitaries. But she doesn’t deserve any of it.”

She added that the former medical student had never admitted guilt or apologised for the crime.

A court heard in 2012 that Mahil and Singh were in a relationship that ended badly after she accused him of sexual assault.

The two killers were jailed for their involvement in the crime, with Shoker receiving a life sentence for murder while Peters was locked up for 12 years for manslaughter.

Mahil was jailed for six years for causing grievous bodily harm but was released on license in 2014 after serving half of her sentence.

Earlier, Singh-Bola, an Ilford councillor who worked as a senior official in the office of Ilford South MP Mike Gapes, defended his wife, saying: “I stand by my wife who has long been

involved in charities and grassroots politics, well before I even met her.

“We have refrained from publicising our side of the story, and instead have been focusing on giving back to the community.”

More For You

Streeting hails India’s global role as Labour backs bilateral relations

Wes Streeting addresses the Republic Day reception at the Guildhall in London last Tuesday (28),joined by Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Vikram Doraiswami

Streeting hails India’s global role as Labour backs bilateral relations

WES STREETING spoke of the priority prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour government attach to relations with India when he addressed a Republic Day reception at the Guildhall in London last Tuesday (28).

But the secretary of state for health and social care won over the large Indian crowd by paying an unexpected tribute to Rishi Sunak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

Gautam Adani

Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

SRI LANKA’S government started talks with India’s Adani Group to lower the cost of power from two wind power projects the group will build in the island nation’s northern province, the cabinet spokesman said last Tuesday (28).

Sri Lanka has been reviewing the group’s local projects after US authorities in November accused billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other executives of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts. Adani has denied the allegations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Badenoch proposes stricter citizenship rules for all migrants

Kemi Badenoch delivers speech on January 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Badenoch proposes stricter citizenship rules for all migrants

CONSERVATIVE PARTY on Thursday (6) proposed a clampdown on all migrants by tightening citizenship rules and barring social benefit claimants from residency rights.

Kemi Badenoch, who took over from Rishi Sunak in November last year, outlined her first major policy agenda as Tory leader in a move seen as an attempt to win back the support of Conservative voters drawn to the far-right anti-immigrant Reform party.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

Pakistani zookeeper Mohammad Amir holds the confiscated lion cub at Lahore’s safari zoo last Tuesday (28)

Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

A PAKISTANI YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in south Asia, and his week-long nuptials in December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

iStock

Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

THEFT and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year, driven partly by criminal gangs, and are “out of control”, according to a report last Thursday (30).

The British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey found that more than 20 million thefts occurred in the year to August 31, 2024 – an average of 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion.

Keep ReadingShow less