Mohali: ED raid at ex-Air Canada manager Simran Preet Panesar’s residence in Canada’s biggest gold heist case
PTC Web Desk: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided the Mohali residence of Simran Preet Panesar, a 32-year-old former Air Canada manager, who is a suspect in connection with Canada’s largest gold heist. The raid, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Section 2(1)(RA), took place early in the morning at his residence in Sector 79, Mohali. Officials have been questioning Panesar regarding the case.
Simran Preet Panesar’s wife, Preeti Panesar, is a former Miss India Uganda, singer, and actress. The PMLA section under which the ED acted deals with cross-border offenses, meaning crimes committed outside India that would be considered offenses under Indian law if committed within the country.
Background of the case
The gold heist took place in April 2023 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, where 6,600 gold bars weighing 400 kg, along with $2.5 million in foreign currency, were stolen from a cargo complex. The incident occurred during the unloading of cargo from a Zurich-bound flight.
Following the robbery, Simran Preet Panesar, who was residing in Brampton, Ontario, fled Canada and moved to India. In June 2024, his lawyers indicated he would surrender, but this has not yet happened. Peel Regional Police have been investigating the case under "Project 24 Carat."
According to Peel Regional Police records, at least 20 officials have been assigned to the investigation, which has been ongoing for over a year. The authorities have used tracking, interviews, and CCTV footage analysis to trace the stolen gold. The investigation has confirmed that a tracked truck was used to transport the stolen gold bars from the cargo terminal.
- PTC NEWS
