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Police have charged another man in connection with a multimillion-dollar gold heist at Pearson airport in 2023, saying he was arrested after entering Canada on Monday.
Officers picked up 43-year-old Arsalan Chaudhary after he flew to Toronto from Dubai, Peel Regional Police Insp. Mike Mavity told CBC News in an interview. Chaudhary had arranged through his lawyers to turn himself in upon arrival, but Mavity said he didn’t know specifically why he had chosen to surrender.
Chaudhary was subsequently charged with theft over $5,000, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. He was held for a bail hearing on Wednesday.
In a statement, Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the arrest showcases how officers working alongside international law enforcement can disrupt sophisticated criminal activity.
“Let it be known: no matter where you try to run or hide, we will find you,” Duraiappah said.
Police have called the incident the largest gold heist in Canadian history, and seven other suspects have previously been arrested in connection with the case.
WATCH | Breaking down the details of the arrest:
New charges laid in Toronto airport gold heist investigation
Peel police say they’ve made another arrest in connection with the 2023 gold heist at Toronto’s Pearson airport, the largest gold heist in Canadian history. Police said they arrested a 43-year-old man traveling to Toronto from Dubai on Monday.
It happened on April 17, 2023, involving a flight arriving from Zurich, Switzerland that was carrying a cargo shipment containing 400 kilograms of gold — valued at more than $20 million at the time — and about $2.5 million in foreign currency. The items were reported missing the following day.
Two groups were involved in the case, Mavity said — one being Air Canada employees, who police are alleging helped facilitate the theft, and a group of outsiders, to which Chaudhary belonged.
“Once the gold was removed from Air Canada cargo, he helped, we believe, facilitate the sale and get it ultimately out of Canada,” Mavity said.
According to the Crown’s statement of allegations, which was exclusively obtained by CBC’s The Fifth Estate and has not yet been tested in court, Chaudhary was “the most involved in the planning of the theft” — as well as another suspect’s flight to the United States and “other post-offence conduct.”
One suspect referred to him as the heist’s “top dog,” the document says.
After the incident, police raided an apartment Chaudhary was living in and seized multiple items, including $154,000 in Canadian cash alongside cellphones, SIM cards, and two handwritten lists allocating funds toward different assets totalling $9 million, according to the Crown’s list of allegations.
The document also states that on the day of the heist, Chaudhary exchanged calls or messages with two other suspects linked to the case 772 times.
The day after the heist, one suspect messaged Chaudhary in a WhatsApp chat saying, “I’m so happy for you Bro,” and “I can’t even sleep, lol” — to which Chaudhary allegedly responded, “it’s insane.”
WATCH | Inside the Pearson gold heist:
Investigators say they have also issued a warrant linked to the case for a 27-year-old man from Brampton, Ont., who recently pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking-related charges in the U.S. and is expected to be sentenced later this year.
Police say two other suspects from Brampton — including a former Air Canada employee — are still at large and warrants have been issued for their respective arrests.