Ex-Canucks prospect Prab Rai arrested by Surrey RCMP on fraud charges

Former Vancouver Canucks prospect Prab Rai has been arrested by the Surrey RCMP and charged with fraud.

According to a statement released by the RCMP on Wednesday, Rai was arrested on Tuesday and was charged with one count of Fraud over $5,000. The Surrey product has been conditionally released while awaiting his next appearance in court.

The Canucks originally selected Rai in the fifth round (No. 131 overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft. The former WHL star played with the Prince George Cougars and Seattle Thunderbirds before suffering a career-derailing injury as a result of a major car accident in the 2010 offseason.

Rai concluded his playing career after appearing in seven ECHL games with the Stockton Thunder and Evansville Icemen during the 2014–15 season. According to the statement released by Surrey police, Rai began engaging in fraudulent business practices shortly thereafter.

“On January 14, 2021, the Surrey FCU began an investigation into a fraud spanning from 2015 to 2021 after a victim came forward to police, alleging they had lost several million dollars in real-estate investment opportunities, the Surrey RCMP statement read.

“Police gathered information and evidence as part of a long-term investigation and determined that between October 9, 2015 and July 20 2018, the 34-year-old man allegedly committed large scale financial frauds.”

Surrey RCMP also indicated that Rai’s fraudulent activity involved “millions of dollars” in potential losses for his victims.

Back in 2022, the Vancouver Sun published a report about a lawsuit filed against Rai alleging that he had defrauded a B.C. realtor out of $2.8 million. It is unclear whether that case played a part in the Surrey FCU investigation or contributed to Rai’s arrest.

Rai, who hails from Surrey, signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks in 2010 but never made it past the ECHL, topping out with six points in 24 games with the Kalamazoo Wings in 2011–12. Today is Rai’s 34th birthday.