Another man of Indian-origin arrested in Canada's largest gold and cash robbery
PTC News Desk: Approximately one month after the arrest of five other suspects in the largest-ever gold robbery in Canadian history, a 36-year-old man of Indian descent has been detained in Canada in relation to a heinous multimillion-dollar gold heist at Toronto's main airport.
Using fictitious documentation, Peels Regional Police reported that on April 17, 2023, an air cargo container containing foreign currency and gold bars valued at over 22 million Canadian dollars was taken from a secure storage facility.
On an Air Canada aircraft from Zurich, Switzerland, to Pearson International Airport in Toronto, the gold and cash had arrived.
The cargo was offloaded and moved to another area of the airport shortly after the plane touched down. A day later, the police were notified that it was missing.
Archit Grover was detained and charged by detectives on May 6, 2024, at the Toronto airport while he was arriving from India, according to the police.
Earlier, the police had issued a nationwide arrest warrant for him.
Police said in a statement on Thursday that he is accused of conspiring to commit an indictable crime and of stealing more than $5,000 in Canadian dollars.
Grover appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton after being detained pending a bail hearing. In the US, he is also facing allegations connected to firearms.
In connection with the case, Ammad Chaudhary, 43, Ali Raza, 37, and Prasath Paramalingam, 35, were detained last month, along with two individuals of Indian descent, Parmpal Sidhu, 54, and Amit Jalota, 40, both from Ontario.
In addition, the statement stated that Arsalan Chaudhary, a 42-year-old Mississauga resident, and Simran Preet Panesar, a 31-year-old Brampton resident who was also working for Air Canada at the time of the crime, had nationwide warrants issued for their arrest.
At least two former Air Canada employees are said to have assisted in the bold crime, according to the police. One of them is currently in custody, while the other has an arrest warrant out for them.
Sidhu and Panesar's employment with the national flag airline Air Canada was verified by spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick.
"One left the company prior to the arrests announced today and the second has been suspended," he stated.
400 kilograms of 6600 pure gold bars, valued at approximately 20 million dollars and 2.5 million Canadian dollars in foreign money, made up the stolen cargo.
In a previous statement, the police said that they had found one kilogram of gold worth about 89,000 Canadian dollars, along with smelting apparatus and about 434,000.
In a previous statement, the police reported that they had apprehended one kilogramme of gold, estimated to be worth 89,000 Canadian dollars, along with some smelting apparatus and roughly 434,000 in Canadian cash.
- With inputs from agencies
