Another suspect has been arrested in connection to the $20-million Pearson gold heist
Two suspects remain outstanding, according to police
Remember the 2023 Pearson gold heist, in which 6,600 gold bars worth more than $20 million were stolen from the airport along with $2.5 million in cash? It was the largest gold heist in Canadian history.
Nine suspects were identified, but arrests seemed to happen slowly, with three suspects still outstanding as of last spring—at the time, that was two years after the suspects, which included a former Air Canada employee and a jewellery store owner, loaded a forklift full of gold and foreign currency onto a truck before fleeing toward Milton.
Today, an additional suspect was arrested. Arsalan Chaudhary has been charged with theft over $5,000, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and possession of property obtained by crime, according to a media release issued by Peel Regional Police. The investigation has been dubbed Project 24K.
The suspect is said to have landed at Pearson today on a flight from Dubai.
Peel police chief Nishan Duraiappah said in the release that “Project 24K is a clear example of how our officers, working alongside national and international partners, can disrupt sophisticated criminal activity and hold those responsible accountable.”
As of now, say police, 10 individuals have been charged or are wanted, with more than 21 charges laid. Two suspects, one of whom is another former Air Canada employee, are still on the loose.
Related: Amazon employees in Ajax have been accused of stealing $2 million worth of merchandise
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
