50-year-old Rajinderpal Basran, an Indian-origin businessman in Canada, has been arrested and charged with arson with intent to defraud in connection with a fire that burned down his sports bar, Halftime Huddle, in Leader, a town near Saskatoon. The suspicious fire took place on October 26, 2025, which destroyed his sports bar and restaurant when Basran claimed he was out of the town.
Police were first alerted to the blaze around 2:40 a.m. that day. By the time firefighters put the flames out, the building had burned to the ground.
The RCMP found a video footage that showed a suspect arriving at the bar, breaking in and then leaving in a dark-colored SUV. After the fire, Basran told CBC that he was not in the city when he first heard about the fire. He said his family spent a big part of their lives building the sports bar, and it all turned into ashes. On a question about insurance, he said at that time that he was not bothered about the financial issues.
"I will come out of this but the mental trauma and safety of my family, safety of my people who work around, that's the most important right now," Basran said.
Basran owns three other businesses in town and is scheduled to appear in court on March 19.
