$20M gold heist probe leads to arrest of Brampton man at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario
Published May 9, 2024 at 3:44 pm
A Brampton man who was being hunted by police on a Canada-wide warrant for his alleged role in the brazen theft of $23 million in gold and cash one year ago from Pearson Airport in Mississauga was arrested earlier this week after arriving on a flight from India.
Peel Regional Police said in a news release this afternoon Archit Grover, 36, was taken into custody after his flight landed at Pearson Airport on Monday. A police spokesperson told insauga.com the wanted man made the trip back to Canada to turn himself in to authorities.
Grover is charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in connection with the huge April 17, 2023 heist described by police as the largest gold theft in Canadian history.
Grover, among nine suspects charged earlier this spring and one of seven to have been taken into police custody to date, made his first appearance in Brampton court this week.
The men charged earlier this spring by police in connection with the Pearson Airport gold heist. Two have yet to be arrested and are being sought by police. (Photo: Peel Regional Police)
He’s also wanted by U.S. authorities in Pennsylvania related to an alleged gun-smuggling operation that police believe is tied to the Pearson gold and cash heist.
Peel police investigators have been working with the Philadelphia Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, more commonly known as the ATF, as several suspects are under indictment south of the border as well.
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In their news release Thursday afternoon, Peel police said their investigators and the ATF “have continued to make significant progress in the investigation.”
To date, Peel police said they have identified and charged or issued warrants for 10 people in connection with the case, which has garnered international headlines since shortly after a large truck drove away from an Air Canada cargo facility at Pearson with the precious cargo on board in April 2023.
The gold and cash had arrived just a couple of hours earlier on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland.
Police said Canada-wide warrants are still in effect for the following individuals:
- Simran Preet Panesar, 31, of Brampton (former Air Canada employee, who was employed at the time of the theft)
- Arsalan Chaudhary, 42, of no fixed address
(Photo: Peel Regional Police)
Investigators urge them to seek legal counsel and turn themselves in to police.
In addition, a “warrant in the 1st” has been issued for Durante King-Mclean, 25, of Brampton. He’s in custody in the United States on firearms trafficking-related charges and investigators have been in touch with him and his legal counsel, Peel police said.
The five-tonne truck used to steal $20 million in gold and $2.5 million in cash from Pearson Airport in Mississauga. (Photo: Peel Regional Police)
Video capture shows what police say was the container of gold and cash being loaded onto a truck at an Air Canada cargo facility at Pearson Airport. After leaving with the valuable load, the driver took Highway 401 to Milton before eventually disappearing somewhere north of there. (Photo: Peel Regional Police YouTube)
Image shows partial route Peel Regional Police say a five-tonne truck took toward Milton shortly after it collected the gold and cash from an Air Canada cargo warehouse at Pearson Airport in Mississauga. (Photo: Peel Regional Police)