MISSISSAUGA -- Mustaeen Siddiqi was asked to repair something in his tenants' basement apartment.

While being a good landlord, the 45-year-old man was stabbed just before noon Wednesday in the Warkshire Way semi-detached home he apparently moved into about six months ago.

He was pronounced dead about an hour later, becoming Peel Region's 11th murder of the year.

The suspect's mother asked Siddiqi to repair something in the basement apartment, Const. J.P. Valade said.

Moments later, the married father of three was attacked.

"It boils down to a cowardly act that seems to defy explanation," Valade said.

Nevertheless, homicide detectives allege the suspect planned to kill the victim.

The killing is not a domestic dispute as the two men are not related, Valade said.

"The victim was a good man that did nothing wrong," he said.

The suspect, his mother and two siblings moved into the basement apartment about a week ago, said neighbours in the usually quiet neighbourhood in the Mavis Rd.-Eglinton Ave. area.

The suspect arrived from Pakistan recently, Valade said.

Neighbour Burhan Qureshi yesterday remembered police escorting the calm but handcuffed suspect in a blood-smeared shirt out of the home and to a cruiser.

"He's handcuffed, standing nicely, no panic, nothing. He was standing normally, hands out here," Qureshi said, putting his wrists together in front of him.

He also recalled meeting the victim for the first time when the moving van was in the driveway.

Qureshi said the victim was friendly and went out of his way to introduce himself the day he moved in.

"He said, 'I am your new neighbour, I'm moving here,' " he recalled.

Salik Bin Sajid, 23, is charged with first-degree murder.

ROB.LAMBERTI@SUNMEDIA.CA