ED Raids Simran Preet Panesar’s House Over Canada’s ‘Biggest’ Gold Heist

ED Raids Simran Preet Panesar’s House: On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided and interrogated Simran Preet Panesar, 32, an ex-Air Canada manager wanted in Canada for involvement in the April 2023 gold theft at the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

An ED team arrived at Simran Preet Panesar's residence on Friday morning at Sector 79 in Mohali, Punjab.

Also Read: PCB Names Fakhar Zaman’s Replacement After Injured Opener Ruled Out of Champions Trophy

“Our teams are in the process of questioning him,” a senior ED officer said.

Earlier news reports had stated that Simran Preet Panesar was living on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

In a rare move, the ED, which investigates financial crimes, for the first time began an investigation into whether a crime was committed in a foreign country since the accused entered India.

The plan, as told by officers in the know, was to trace whether gold or its proceeds entered India.

Toronto Pearson gold heist

The crime occurred at Toronto Pearson International Airport on April 17, 2023, when false paperwork was used to steal from a secure storage area an air cargo container with gold bars.

Also Read: PCB Names Fakhar Zaman’s Replacement After Injured Opener Ruled Out of Champions Trophy

The cargo contains 6,600 bars of 0.9999 pure gold, weighing 400 kgs, worth over 20 million Canadian Dollars (CAD), and foreign currency worth 2.5 million CAD. The gold and currency arrived in Toronto on an Air Canada flight from Zurich in Switzerland and were destined for a bank in Canada's largest city.

Almost immediately after landing, the cargo was offloaded and brought away to some other location on airport property. However, it was reported ‘missing’ the next day to the police.

On April 2024, Peel Regional Police (PRP) described the theft as the "biggest gold heist in Canadian history," charging nine including Panesar and issuing an arrest warrant against him. Panesar and another co-accused, Parampal Sidhu, resided in Brampton and were employed at the Toronto Pearson Airport warehouse facility.

The authorities in Canada have not yet recovered the gold. From the stolen cargo, it is reported that only CAD 90,000 is recovered by PRP.

Also Read: ChatGPT Suggests Man Try Psychedelics to Cope With Grief: ‘If All Else Fails’