6 arrested, 3 on run in what police call biggest gold theft in Canada’s history

Six people, including a jeweler and a commercial airline employee, are under arrest and police said they have issued warrants for three other suspects in connection to what they called the single-largest gold heist in Canadian history.

According to Peel Regional Police in Ontario, a joint investigation with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led to nearly two dozen charges being filed against the suspects in connection to the nearly $20 million Canadian dollar ($14.5 million) heist that took place a year ago.

During news conference Wednesday in Ontario, Peel Regional Police Detective-Sergeant Mike Mavity told reporters 400 kilograms of gold bars weighing more than 900 pounds, along with about CA$2.5 million ($1.8 million) in stolen bank notes were hijacked from the Toronto Pearson International Airport after arriving on a commercial flight from Europe.

In all, 6,600 gold bars ranging in size were stolen and each gold bar was "99.9% pure and contained individualized serial numbers," Mavity said.

The items, officials reported, had been ordered from a refinery in Zurich.

Here's how police said the heist went down:

Gold and currency transported in Air Canada flight to Toronto airport

On April 17, 2023, the gold and currency were transported in the hull of an Air Canada flight in "an approved airline container" destined for Toronto.

At 3:56 p.m. that day, the flight arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport and, shortly after, the gold and cash were offloaded from the air craft and brought into an Air Canada facility.

At 6:32 p.m. a male suspect arrived at air can cargo driving a 5-ton truck, and approached the compound carrying what police called a fraudulent airway bill − a document used by carriers with details about shipments.

A short time later a forklift arrived and loaded the item into the suspect's truck.

The suspect then drove away.

The items are discovered missing

At 2:43 a.m. the next day, officials discovered the document bill was a duplicate of an airline bill for a legitimate shipment of seafood delivered and picked up the previous date, according to a press release from police.

The forged bill was printed within the Air Canada facility, Mavity said, and when officials realized the items were missing, they used security footage to track part of the subsequent route driven by the suspect before losing track of the truck in north Milton, an Ontario suburb.

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An inside job: Here are the suspects

Police confirmed the heist was an inside job and said a former Air Canada manager was wanted in the case.

So far police said they have arrested the following suspects in connection to the case:

• Air Canada employee Parmpal Sidhu, 54, of Ontario

• Jewelry store owner Ali Raza, 37, of Toronto

• Amit Jalota, 40, of Ontario

• Ammad Chaudhary, 43, of Ontario

• Prasath Paramalingam, 35, of Ontario

All five were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in court at a later date, Mavity said.

The truck driver who allegedly picked up the gold, Durante King-Mclean, 25 of Ontario, is currently in custody in the U.S. on firearms and trafficking related charges.

Here are the suspects at large:

• Air Canada manager Simran Preet Panesar, 31, of Ontario

• Archit Grover, 36, of Ontario

• Arsalan Chaudhary, 42, of Ontario

Peel Regional Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said only CA$90,000 ($65,000) of the more than CA$20 million has been recovered.

According to U.S. ATF Special Agent Eric DeGree, King-Mclean was arrested in Pennsylvania after a traffic stop lead to police seizing 65 illegal firearms slated to be smuggled into Canada. King-Mclean tried to flee, DeGree said, after police discovered the firearms in a rental car he reportedly drove.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick confirmed to CBC Canada, two of the suspects identified by the police worked for Air Canada in the cargo division at the time of the heist.

"One left the company prior to the arrests announced today and the second has been suspended," he said according to the outlet reported. "As this is now before the courts, we are limited in our ability to comment further."

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So far only one kilo of gold recovered, police say

A year later, according to the release, only about CA $90,000 (one kilo of the gold) has been recovered, melted down into bangle bracelets. The rest of the gold, police said, was likely melted down and used to buy illegal firearms.

"I commend the incredible work done by our investigators, the ATF, other law enforcement partners, and our community for working together to identify and arrest those responsible for this brazen crime," Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah released in a statement this week.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Peel Regional Police.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canada gold heist: Air Canada employee among 6 arrested, 3 on the run