A year later, authorities have apprehended six individuals and issued three additional arrest warrants in connection with the gold heist at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport cargo facility that occurred in April 2023, according to a report by AFP.
Described as “the most significant gold heist in Canadian history” by authorities, only a small portion of the 6,600 stolen gold bars, valued at Can$20 million ($15 million), has been retrieved. Additionally, during the same heist, Can$2.5 million in foreign banknotes was also stolen.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah remarked, as reported by Bloomberg, that this tale is so sensational it could easily belong in a Netflix series.
According to officials, among the suspects are two former Air Canada airport employees and a jewelry store owner, suggesting that this was an “inside job.” Interestingly, one of the accused ex-employees had even provided police with a tour of the shipment area during that time.
The suspects in the gold heist have been identified by police as men from the Toronto region, all falling within the age range of 25 to 54 years. Interestingly, the getaway driver also faces a separate case in the United States for possessing 65 illegal firearms, according to a US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives official, as reported by AFP.
Speaking to reporters in Brampton, Duraiappah stated that this incident was an inside job, meticulously orchestrated by a highly organized group of criminals.
Peel Police confiscated Can$430,000, believed to be proceeds from the sale of some of the stolen gold. Additionally, they recovered six roughly crafted gold bracelets, valued at approximately Can$89,000. The search for the remaining stolen gold is still underway.
The Great Canadian Gold Heist – Unraveling the Events of April 17, 2023:
A Swiss bank enlisted Brink’s Co. to transport the valuable cargo from Zurich, Switzerland to Toronto. Brink’s, in turn, coordinated with Air Canada for the secure transportation of 400 kg of gold into the country. The precious cargo was meticulously offloaded at the cargo holding facility at Toronto Airport.
Detective Sergeant Mike Mavity informed the press that a man driving a truck arrived at the loading dock around 6:30 PM. The individual presented a fraudulent air waybill in an attempt to claim a shipment. Airway bills serve as tracking documents for international shipments, and this particular one turned out to be a duplicate of a seafood shipment from the previous day.
When Brink’s employees arrived three hours later to collect the cargo, they were informed that it was missing.
Nine Suspects Identified, Search Continues for Remaining Three:
those arrested or those that took part in Canada's biggest ever gold heist pic.twitter.com/vDCOrhiRvN
— Infinitus Capital (@InfinitusCap) April 18, 2024
Parmpal Sidhu, a former Air Canada employee aged 54, was apprehended and accused of stealing more than C$5,000 ($3,620) and conspiring to commit an indictable offense.
Simran Preet Panesar (31), another former employee, is currently facing the same charges but has not yet been apprehended.
Amit Jalota (40), Ammad Chaudhary (43), Ali Raza (37), Prasath Paramalinga (35), Archit Grover (36), Arsalan Chaudhary (42), and the getaway driver, Durante King-Mclean (25), have all been identified.
ALSO READ | Canada: 24-year-old Indian student shot dead inside his car in Vancouver