On 13/1, police stated that 43-year-old suspect Arsalan Chaudhary was arrested at Pearson International Airport in Toronto upon arrival from a flight from Dubai. He was charged with theft over, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offense.
Chaudhary is one of the last suspects arrested in the large-scale investigation, dubbed "Project 24 Carat". The project stemmed from the theft of 6,600 gold bars valued at nearly 15 million USD. Police consider this the largest gold heist in Canadian history, and seven other suspects were previously arrested.
Investigators accuse Chaudhary of being responsible for transporting the gold. The 6,600 gold bars have not yet been recovered; it is hypothesized they have been melted down and distributed to multiple buyers.
The theft is believed to be an inside job. Authorities are searching for a former Air Canada employee believed to have played a significant role in the incident.
According to records, the heist occurred on 17/4/2023, involving a flight from Zurich, Switzerland, carrying 400 kg of gold and approximately 2.5 million USD. The items were reported missing the following day.
Police stated that two groups were involved in the case: one comprised Air Canada employees, who allegedly assisted in the theft. The other group consisted of external individuals, including the recently arrested defendant, Chaudhary.
"After the gold was offloaded from the Air Canada cargo hold, we believe Chaudhary facilitated its sale and removal from Canada", a police inspector stated.
Chaudhary was arrested at the very airport where the heist took place.
According to the indictment, Chaudhary was "most involved in planning the theft and other post-offense activities", including the disposal of the gold. One suspect referred to Chaudhary as the "ringleader" of the heist.
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At the defendant's residence, police found two notes detailing plans for spending approximately 10 million USD obtained from the heist. *Peel Regional Police*. |
Police raided the apartment where Chaudhary lived and seized numerous items, including 154,000 CAD, mobile phones, SIM cards, and two handwritten lists allocating funds to various assets totaling 9 million CAD, according to the Prosecutor's indictment.
Documents also state that on the day of the heist, Chaudhary called or messaged two other suspects involved in the case a total of 772 times.
One day after the heist, a suspect messaged Chaudhary via WhatsApp, saying: "I'm so happy for you, brother," and "I couldn't sleep, haha". Chaudhary responded with "insane".
Two other suspects, including a former Air Canada employee, remain at large.
Hai Thu (According to ABC, CBC)
