The Toronto Post A Consolidated News Source
There were no guns used, there was no violence, police say this was a carefully orchestrated gold heist that included two Air Canada employees. One has been arrested and charged, the other was actually helping police at one point until he disappeared. This story is a sensational one, and one which probably, jokingly, belongs in a Netflix series. It’s the $20 million gold theft caper at Toronto Pearson Airport, exactly 1 year ago.
The results of Project 24 Karat led to six arrests, including an Air Canada employee, alleging this was partly an inside job, taking advantage of opportunities afforded by virtue of their employment. I certainly wouldn’t say it was a very easy one.
One of the Air Canada employees charged is 54-year-old Parm Paul Sidhu, an airline insider. The gold, worth $2.5 million in currency, was stolen after it arrived on an Air Canada flight from Switzerland. According to police, the gold was stored at a warehouse. At 3:56 p.m., the thieves showed up and were able to take the gold. At 6:32 p.m., the armored car company Brinks showed up to pick it up, but it was already gone. It took Air Canada and Brinks more than 5 hours to call police and report the heist. At 2:43 a.m. the next day, 6,600 gold bars weighing over 400 kg were gone. Thieves allegedly presented a fake waybill for seafood and were given the gold.
Police have issued Canada-wide warrants for three men, including a now former Air Canada employee, Simrat Pri Panar, who disappeared after showing police around after the heist. He actually led a tour for Peel Regional Police before we knew his involvement. Police were able to watch and document the truck along the road using cameras on the highway. Police say the gold was used to buy guns. We successfully put this international gun trafficking operation out of business in this case, keeping 65 firearms off the streets of Canada.
What police haven’t found in this gold heist is much of the gold – only $90,000 out of the $20 million. Just six gold bracelets that police say were melted down from the stolen gold, the rest is still missing. As for the men arrested and facing charges, they’ve all been released on conditions and are promised to appear in court. Those five Ontario suspects have all been released, while the suspect arrested in Pennsylvania remains in jail. And again, almost all of the gold is gone. Brinks is now suing Air Canada, claiming that the airline was negligent and caused the gold heist.
