$100,000 reward offered for information in the Elnaz Hajtamiri abduction case
Published January 12, 2023 at 11:15 am
The Ontario Provincial Police and York Regional Police are offering a $100,000 reward to anyone with information that will lead to the location of Elanz Hajtamiri.
One year ago today (Jan. 12) Elnaz Hajtamiri, 37, was abducted by three men dressed in police gear from a relative’s house in Wasaga Beach.
OPP Detective Inspector Martin Graham said today (Jan. 12) the whereabouts of Hajtamiri is still not known. And the three suspects have not been located.
“Her family is grieving her absence, and has lived through a year with limited answers,” said Graham in the OPP press conference today.
He read a statement from Hajtamiri’s mother.
“It is difficult to face the fact that it has been one long, painful year since we last saw our beautiful daughter Elnaz,” she said in the statement. “We open our eyes every morning thinking this will be the day she calls to tell us she is alive and safe. But that day never comes. I just want to hug our daughter again.”
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The family hopes someone will come forward.
“We know there are people out there who have information and who may be contemplating whether to come forward,” the statement continued. “We pray that you will do the right thing and help us out of this suffering and bring justice for Elnaz.”
Graham said police don’t know if she is still alive.
“My biggest hope is that she is alive, my greatest fear is that she is not,” said Graham.
He said the case is very unique.
“I’ve been a police officer for just shy of 32 years, I have never been involved or aware of a case similar to this,” Graham said. “A female not involved in crime is literally plucked out of her house with violence. And nothing’s been seen or heard from it in one calendar year. That is incredibly rare.”
The three suspects in the case fled with Hajtamiri from Wasaga Beach in a white 2016 to 2022 model Lexus RX 350 Sport Utility Vehicle.
“Someone out there knows the identity of the three suspects who were involved in the kidnapping,” Graham said.
An OPP forensic artist made sketches of two of three men suspected in the abduction and released them today.
“Though the images are limited due to the suspects wearing masks, please I want you to look closely at their eyes and features. Someone knows these men,” Graham added.
The first suspect is described as approximately six feet tall, very skinny, lighter black skin with a long narrow face. He had a thick black belt with an attached handcuff pouch, a holster and a black gun with a magazine holder. The gun appeared to have been worn with metal areas exposed.
The second suspect is described as approximately five-feet-nine-inches tall, with lighter black skin, stocky, with skinny legs. He was wearing white cream shoes with a plastic toecap, cotton black gloves and had imitation handcuffs.
Both of the suspects wore dark jackets over their fake police vests, they had a balaclava with white trim. They had a badge chained around their neck which appeared to be gold, red and blue and they all wore dark pants.
There was no image of the third suspect but he is described as approximately five-foot-nine-inches tall, lighter coloured skin, possibly Middle Eastern and thin. It was suspected that he had a firearm in his jacket.
Three people have been arrested in connection with this investigation.
Hajtamiri’s ex-boyfriend, Mohamad Lilo was arrested in July and faces charges connected to the abduction and an earlier assault and attempted kidnapping.
In the earlier incident, Hajtamiri was assaulted with a frying pan in an underground parking lot in Richmond Hill in December 2021.
Police charged Riyasat Singh from Mississauga, and Harshdeep Binner from Brampton with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and other offences in connection with the earlier attack on Hajtamiri in Richmond Hill on Dec. 20, 2021.
Singh pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and was sentenced to a one year jail term. He was deported from Canada in December.
Binner remains in custody and will appear in Newmarket court on Jan. 20.
Police cannot say if there is a further connection to Mississauga and Brampton, Graham told insauga.com.
“Police and law enforcement have not identified positively the three individuals that were responsible for attending Wasaga Beach in the evening of January the 12 kidnapping of Elanz Hajtamiri,” Graham said.
Because the case is still before the courts, police could not comment further on Lilo’s possible connection to the abduction.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the OPP non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit tips online.
Members of the public are strongly urged to help share previously released social media information and photos of Elnaz Hajtamiri using the hashtag #BringElnazHome.
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