Brampton man charged with attempted murder of woman abducted from Wasaga Beach
Published April 19, 2022 at 10:42 am
A Mississauga man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for a botched kidnapping and attempted murder has been arrested but police are still searching for the female victim missing since January.
Police say a woman was attacked in an underground parking garage on Dec. 20. The suspects struck the victim with a frying pan but were scared off by a bystander and fled the scene.
The victim, 37-year-old Elnaz Hajtamiri, was injured and required dozens of stitches following the attack.
Police said they later retrieved a tracking device, and two other tracking devices were found in her car when she brought the vehicle in for servicing in November.
Less than a month later on Jan. 12, Hajtamiri was abducted from a Wasaga Beach home where she was reportedly hiding out with family members.
Police believe Hajtamiri was abducted by three men posing as police officers and the suspects fled in what has been described as a white 2016-2022 model Lexus RX SUV.
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She was reportedly taken from the home after the three armed suspects overpowered the homeowner and dragged Hajtamiri barefoot through the snow.
On Thursday, Riyasat Singh, 23, from Mississauga was arrested and charged with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and mischief under $5,000.
Investigators also issued a Canada-wide warrant for a second suspect.
Harshdeep Binner, 23, of Brampton has been charged with:
- Attempted murder
- Attempted kidnapping
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Mischief under $5,000
Police have said they do not believe Singh and Binner were the same men involved in Hajtamiri’s kidnapping in January and there are “at least five different people responsible directly for these crimes” according to OPP Det. Insp. Martin Graham.
“Despite the number of people involved, we have received no information that would provide us with a definite link as to where the investigation should be headed,” Graham told reporters in early April.
Hajtamiri, who also goes by the surname Tamiri, is from Iran and emigrated to Canada less than four years ago after the death of her husband.
In late January, police reportedly arrested Hajtamiri’s former boyfriend Mohamad Lilo with criminal harassment following a break-up in October.
Police have not named Lilo as a suspect in Hajtamiri’s abduction but said they are investigating the relationship.
Anyone with information on the Richmond Hill assault is asked to call the York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7250.
You can also contact CrimeStoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this story indicated Binner had been arreste. He is still at large.
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