SANT Mangat, 72, of Surrey has been convicted of a child exploitation offence following a proactive investigation by the BC RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit (BC ICE).

On January 20, Mangat pled guilty and was sentenced to a 15-month conditional sentence order for the offence of telecommunicating to lure a child under 16.

He was also sentenced to 12 months of probation, and must abide by multiple conditions, including those governing his access to the Internet and children under the age of 16.

Mangat was arrested by BC ICE on December 15, 2021, following a proactive online investigation by BC ICE that began in March 2020.

“This conviction is a direct result of the work of our specialized ICE investigators who identified a possible online predator communicating with someone whom they believed to be a youth online,” said Constable Katherine Bizier of BC ICE. “Our investigators work on a daily basis to identify, pursue, and disrupt offenders of these crimes targeting children.”

BC ICE encourages all parents to stay aware of their children’s online activities and to talk to their children about online safety. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection can help provide caregivers with the resources needed. For more information, visit Order Materials: FREE RESOURCES – protectchildren.ca.