Six men have been arrested amid a police investigation of a multimillion-dollar gold heist at Toronto’s main airport. The authorities have seized dozens of firearms which are said to be connected to the case.
Interestingly, the officers have said that the firearms belong in a “Netflix series”.
The Hollywood movie-like theft was valued at US$15 million. The authorities have issued three more warrants and called the theft an inside job. So far, very little of the gold has been recovered.
It was the largest-ever gold heist in the nation’s history. Police started to look for the thieves after a shipment of 6,600 gold bars from a refinery in Switzerland and C$2.7m in cash were stolen from a cargo facility at Toronto’s Pearson international airport last year on April 17.
While speaking to the reporters in Brampton, Peel Regional Police chief Nishan Duraiappah, said that the theft was “carefully planned by a well-organised group of criminals.”
The Peel Regional Police also said that their joint probe with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has led to multiple arrests and 19 charges. They have also intercepted a “large quantity of firearms” intended for import into Canada.
“This story is a sensational one, and one which probably, we jokingly say, belongs in a Netflix series,” Duraiappah said.
Meanwhile, lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Mike Mavity said that two men who worked for the airline were instrumental in pulling it off.
As mentioned by local reports, Parmpal Sidhu, a 54-year-old man from Brampton, Ont., was one of the employees. He worked in the warehouse. He was arrested and charged. On the other hand, police are searching for Simran Preet Panesar (31) who is also from Brampton.
“They needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this theft,” Mavity said.
Last year, a truck gained entry into the compound with his five-tonne delivery truck. He showed a legitimate airway bill, which is a document typically issued by a carrier with details on a shipment.
After that, the truck was loaded with gold bars and cash, then it left the compound. However, it later emerged that the airway bill was a duplicate.
(With inputs from agencies)
