A trial is scheduled to commence today in Brampton, Ontario, for an individual implicated in what authorities have described as one of the most significant gold thefts in Canadian history. Parmpal Sidhu faces charges of theft exceeding $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offense related to the 2023 heist at Toronto’s Pearson airport. The trial follows the recent dismissal of charges against two other individuals linked to the case.
Last month, charges against Ali Raza, a jeweler accused of knowingly receiving some of the stolen gold, and Amit Jalota were dropped by the Crown. Meanwhile, a participant in the heist, Arsalan Chaudhary, who confessed to his involvement, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this year. Chaudhary pleaded guilty to theft exceeding $5,000 and was ordered to repay $22 million in restitution over 40 years.
Peel regional police revealed that 6,600 gold bars, weighing over 400 kilograms and valued at more than $20 million, were stolen from Pearson on April 17, 2023. According to police, the stolen gold and foreign currency were dispatched from a refinery in Zurich, Switzerland, in the cargo hold of an Air Canada flight to Toronto. The consignment was then transferred to an Air Canada cargo facility at the airport, where a suspect allegedly presented a fake airway bill to warehouse personnel and loaded the shipment onto a five-tonne truck.
Another individual implicated in the incident, Archit Grover, is expected to undergo trial later this autumn.
