A Vancouver Island man has been arrested and charged with murder in a case of alleged intimate partner violence in Saanich, B.C., after he was taken into custody earlier this week and released.
Muhammed Ali Basar, who turns 47 this year, remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 21.
On Jan. 5, Saanich police said its major crime unit began investigating a suspicious death inside a home in the 1600-block of Blair Avenue.
Police did not reveal how they learned of the death or whether a 911 call was made, but said the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) had assumed conduct of the investigation.
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At the time, police said they believed this was an “isolated incident.”
Basar was taken into custody the same day and released without charges on Jan. 6.
While the suspect was free in the community, police said “measures were taken to ensure he was not a danger to himself or others.”
Basar was then arrested on Friday, Jan. 9 and charged with murder on Saturday, in what the courts have designated as an allegation of intimate partner violence.
Court records reveal Basar is also accused of disobeying a court order in Saanich on Oct. 24, 2025, involving a domestic or intimate partner.
That charge was sworn on Nov. 14 and Basar was scheduled to appear in court on the matter Jan. 5.
On Nov. 19, court records show a woman filed a family law proceeding against Basar in B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria.
Court records show Basar’s first appearance on the disobeying a court order charge was scheduled for Dec. 15, the same date the family law file was last updated.
Basar was to appear in court to “consult legal counsel” on Jan. 5, the day police began investigating the suspicious death in Saanich.
Police have not publicly identified the homicide victim and said no further details will be released as the investigation is now with the BC Prosecution Service.
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