Taco Del Mar Franchise Dream Ends in Tragedy, Suicide
April 3, 2008 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
(FranchisePick.Com) What began as the dream of owning a thriving fast food franchise restaurant has ended in bizarre story of arson & suicide, leaving a retail area in ruins, one man badly burned and facing charges, a franchise owner dead by her own hand, a husband without his wife or business, and three children without a mother.
According to The Province:
The [Taco Del Mar] fast-food, taco-and-burrito outlet exploded Feb. 13. The blast at 686 West Broadway also destroyed an adjacent Starbucks, damaged other nearby businesses, blew debris across the six-lane roadway and sent shattered glass flying hundreds of metres.”It was miraculous no one else was injured,” said police spokesman Const. Tim Fanning. “It was an absolute war zone.”
Police believe the damage, amounting to more than $2 million, resulted from a bungled arson attempt in which a flammable liquid combined with air, causing an explosion. Four litres of gasoline, mixed with air, can explode with the force of 15 sticks of dynamite.
A witness living nearby said he saw a man running from the area after the 2:30 a.m. explosion, shedding charred clothing.
Investigators believe that man was Kamaljeet Singh Josan, 31, a friend of Taco Del Mar franchise owners Manjeet Kaur Nandha and Harjit Singh Nandha. Josan sustained burns to more than 40% of his body.
According to NP Posted:
The body Manjeet Kaur Nandha, 42, who lived in Surrey with her husband and three children, was found three days later in Howe Sound. It appeared as though she had taken her own life….
Global TV reported that Nandha left a suicide note saying she took her life because she couldn’t bear the suspicion surrounding her family.
The Nandhas’ large home in Newton is up for sale, but Kevin Hansen, chief operating officer of Taco Del Mar’s franchising division, said there was nothing suspicious about the destroyed store’s finances.
“The store performed at market average or slightly better,” Hansen said from his office in Seattle.
Kamaljeet Singh Josan, who has burn scars on his face and an elastic burn glove on his right hand, has been released on $20,000 bail and been ordered to stay away from Manjit Nandha, matches and lighters.
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Knowing from experience, if the store was operating at market average, it probably was not making it. More should be done to look into how many other Taco Del Mar locations actually lose money each month for their owners, yet the franchisor seems to ignore this truth.