Two suspects remain on the run nearly three years after the infamous gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport, police say.

To date, nine individuals have been charged or are wanted, and more than 21 charges have been laid after more than $20 million in gold and $2.5 million in cash was stolen from Pearson in April 2023.

A Peel Regional Police spokesperson told Global News in an email Thursday that 33-year-old Simran Preet Panesar and 36-year-old Prasath Paramalingam are still wanted.

Panesar, a former Air Canada employee who is believed to be in India, is wanted on charges of theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Paramalingam, a Brampton, Ont., resident, is wanted on a bench warrant after failing to appear in court on Aug. 19, 2024.

Police arrested the majority of the suspects a year after the heist unfolded. Arsalan Chaudhary, 44, who was arrested this January at Pearson after arriving on a flight from Dubai, was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday and ordered to repay $22 million.

The April 17, 2023, heist, which made international headlines at the time, involved 6,600 gold bars and cash stolen from Pearson.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.

The gold and currency were ordered from a refinery in Zurich, Switzerland, and were transported in a container through an Air Canada flight that landed in Toronto.

1:10
Toronto Pearson gold heist: Ontario man arrested at airport after arriving from India

That flight landed at 3:56 p.m. The cargo was then offloaded from the plane to an Air Canada cargo facility at 6:32 p.m.

Police alleged a suspect arrived at the facility with a “fraudulent airway bill” and gave it to an attendant.

A short time later, a forklift arrived with a container of gold and foreign currency, which was loaded into the rear of the suspect’s truck.

At around 9:30 p.m., Brink’s Canada employees went to the Air Canada cargo site to pick up the shipment of gold and currency. Police were contacted the following day and an investigation was launched.

Video surveillance obtained by officers showed that the truck drove west into Halton Region to the north of Milton, Ont. That region is more rural, and eventually the truck was lost.

2:23
What led to a breakthrough in the Toronto airport gold heist?

On April 17, 2024, police announced that 37 search warrants were issued, along with 70 production orders. Officers seized $430,000 in Canadian currency during the search warrants.

Also seized were six crudely made gold bracelets resembling bangles that were sent off for expert examination. They were pure gold and the total value was more than $89,000.

In addition, officers seized smelting pots, casts and moulds. The truck allegedly used to steal the gold and cash was also seized by police.

The investigation into the theft remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

An Ontario agency responsible for probing police misconduct is investigating three suspended Peel Regional Police officers over alleged ties to an ongoing corruption probe.

The Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA), which investigates allegations related to the Community Safety and Policing Act, announced Thursday that it’s in the “public interest” for it to take control of the probe.

Earlier this month, Peel Regional Police administratively suspended three officers after York Regional Police unveiled accusations of corruption within Toronto police as part of its probe dubbed Project South.

The allegations against seven active Toronto police officers and one retired Toronto officer include bribery, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, theft of personal property, breach of trust and the unauthorized access and distribution of confidential information.

No officers from Peel Regional Police have been charged in connection with Project South, a spokesperson for the force told Global News on Feb. 6.

LECA said Peel Regional Police informed them of the allegations against its officers on Monday.

“Based on all the information to date, Director [Stephen] Leach determined that it is in the public interest for LECA to assume control of the conduct investigation,” the agency said in a news release.

“LECA’s conduct investigation will not interfere with any ongoing criminal investigations or prosecutions, nor does the initiation of a conduct investigation displace the right of members of the public to submit a related complaint.”

0:43
Chief Demkiw to seek suspension without pay for 6 officers amid Ontario-wide corruption probe

LECA added that it’s also investigating the misconduct allegations against the Toronto police officers.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

The unveiling of Project South sent shockwaves throughout the region and resulted in the announcement of a review into Ontario’s police services and boards.

Ryan Teschner, the province’s inspector general of policing, told reporters on Feb. 9 that the review will examine officer supervision and span of control, screening and vetting of officers, access to police databases and information systems, evidence and property management, and substance abuse and fitness for duty.

If the review finds any non-compliance with policing legislation, Teschner said he’ll determine whether to issue any legally binding directions.

His directions and the full review will be made public.

Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw has sought the reviews and is currently seeking suspension without pay for six of the seven officers who were charged.

The nuances of legislation don’t allow him to seek suspension without pay for the seventh officer, he has said.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The number of people and businesses receiving threats in Peel Region has been growing, but police hope help is finally on the way.

Last year alone, there were 476 reported cases — of which 190 targeted businesses — and that only reflects incidents where the victims have come forward.

“There are people that aren’t coming forward and are paying. There are people that aren’t able to pay and are still facing those threats, but still don’t come forward,” Peel Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told Global News.

“There are people that do come forward and they don’t come forward until days after they receive the threat and experience the violence.”

On Thursday, the federal government said it was taking a major step toward tackling the situation by embedding financial crime experts within the Peel Regional Police.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced a suite of new initiatives he said will make it easier for police to “follow the money” and disrupt criminal networks.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

The government says Canada’s financial intelligence agency Fintrac will put new resources behind tackling extortion. As part of that effort, Fintrac agents will also join with local law enforcement on the ground to help quickly trace reports of extortion.

Fintrac will also share data with financial institutions to help them flag suspicious transactions.

Across the region, police have been dealing with an increasing number of extortion and brazen cases.

The allegations investigators are presented with generally begin with a WhatsApp message sent to a business, Milinovich said.

“In Ontario, you have extortions that are the result of two types of violence: you have extortions that are occurring because the people have been involved in some kind of criminal activity, and then in between you have extortions that are associated to families and business owners,” he explained.

In early January, for example, a shooting was reported at a business located in Caledon’s Perdue Court around 2:30 a.m. OPP said no injuries were reported, noting it was the same location as a similar shooting the month before.

“The OPP urges community members to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activity to police,” police said at the time.

Local police hope the introduction of financial experts into their operations will make it easier to trace extortion and harder to get away with.

“The reality is this type of crime is motivated by money,” Milinovich said. “Fintrac are the experts in the area of money. Currently, as it sits right now, it’s high-reward, low-risk. That needs to change. We need to reduce the reward that people gain from being involved in extortion. It’s a big deal for us.”

Champagne was asked in Mississauga whether any new money was being committed in Thursday’s announcement.

He didn’t answer directly and said he couldn’t share operational details without the risk of tipping law enforcement’s hand. But he didn’t rule out additional spending.

“My message to Fintrac is, if any additional resources are needed, we’ll be there,” Champagne said.

The aim for police in Peel Region now is to lean on their federal resources to try to make extortion less financially appealing.

“It’s the fear business,” Milinovich concluded.

— With files from The Canadian Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Ontario’s inspector general of policing is launching a review of the province’s police services and boards amid accusations of corruption within Toronto police.

Ryan Teschner announced the probe at a news conference Monday, days after York Regional Police charged seven active Toronto police officers and one retired Toronto officer in their investigation, dubbed Project South, which looked into organized crime and corruption.

The allegations against those officers include bribery, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, theft of personal property, breach of trust and the unauthorized access and distribution of confidential information.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

A day after those accusations sent shockwaves through the region, Peel Regional Police suspended three officers pending further investigation by York Regional Police.

“If there are vulnerabilities within the systems currently in place in Ontario’s policing sector, or in the standards that it must adhere to, it is essential that they are identified so meaningful, system-wide improvements can be made,” Teschner said.

“This provincewide inspection will be conducted under the authority of Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, the province’s policing legislation, and it will focus on five defined areas with the ability to examine additional ones as the inspection unfolds.”

Teschner said those five areas are officer supervision and span of control, screening and vetting of officers, access to police databases and information systems, evidence and property management, and substance abuse and fitness for duty.

More to come.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.