Seventh suspect arrested in gold theft
Police have arrested and charged a seventh person in connection to the theft of $24 million in gold from Pearson International Airport last year, the largest gold theft in Canadian history.
Archit Grover, 36, was arrested by Peel Regional Police after arriving at Pearson Airport on a flight from India on Monday.
Police say Grover, a Brampton resident, is charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
His defence lawyer, Andrew Furgiuele, told the Star that Grover discovered there was a warrant for his arrest while in India.
“After discovering the Canadawide warrant, he returned promptly so that he could come back and face these charges,” said Furgiuele, who declined to answer further questions. “He will answer them in court when the time to do so arrives.”
Grover is the seventh person to be arrested in connection to the heist, which police say involved a group including two Air Canada employees and a Toronto jewelry store owner plotting to steal 400 kilograms of gold from an airport warehouse.
Canada-wide warrants have been issued for two other individuals, including a former Air Canada manager who quit his post last summer.
When police announced the first arrests in April, they identified nine individuals connected with the heist.
Those identified were arrested or had warrants issued for their arrest, with more than 19 charges between them including theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, accessory after the fact of an indictable offence.
In the United States, some are charged with firearms trafficking, and one is facing charges of aiding, abetting and conspiracy.
Those arrested so far in connection with the heist include Parmpal Sidhu, Amit Jalota, Ammad Chaudhary, Ali Raza and Prasath Paramalingam. Durante King-Mclean is currently in custody in the United States.
Police have Canada-wide warrants for two remaining suspects: Simran Preet Panesar, a 31-year-old former Brampton resident working at Air Canada at the time of the heist, and 42-year-old Arsalan Chaudhary.
When reached by the Star, Pearson International Airport declined to comment.
The heist is the largest gold theft in Canadian history, and police say it is the sixth largest in the world. Just $90,000 worth of the stolen gold has been recovered in an investigation police have called Project 24K.