On April 17, 2023, a plane carrying more than 22 million Canadian dollars’ worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from Toronto airport using fake paperwork

CHANDIGARH (TIP): Simran Preet Panesar–Indian-origin former Air Canada manager–wanted in connection with Canada’s largest gold and cash heist worth CAD 22.5 million, has been found living in outskirts of Chandigarh.

On April 17, 2023, an air cargo container carrying more than 22 million Canadian dollars’ worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from a secure storage facility using fake paperwork. The gold and currency had arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. Shortly after the flight’s landing, the cargo was offloaded and transported to a separate location on airport property.

It was reported missing to the police a day later. Police had arrested six people involved in the theft. The arrested included Indian-origin men Archit Grover, Parmpal Sidhu and Amit Jalota, Ammad Chaudhary, Ali Raza, and Prasath Paramalingam. Canada-wide warrants were issued for Simran Preet Panesar from Brampton and Arsalan Chaudhary from Mississauga.

The Indian Express, in collaboration with CBC News: The Fifth Estate, Canada, tracked Panesar living in a rented accommodation with his family, including his wife Preety Panesar, a former Miss India Uganda, singer, and actor.

As per the report, Preet Panesar is living a normal life with his wife and family. When The Indian Express team met Panesar at his residence, he refused to speak “on record,” citing legal and safety reasons.

There were reports that he was to surrender to police last year in June but that did not happen.

The stolen cargo contained 6,600 bars of .9999 pure gold, weighing 400 kg, valued at over 20 million dollars and Canadian dollars 2.5 million worth in foreign currency. In an earlier statement, the police said that investigators seized one kg of gold worth approximately Canadian dollars 89,000, believed to be from the theft, smelting equipment, and approximately 434,000 dollars in Canadian currency.
(Source: TNS)