A former Air Canada employee facing a Canada-wide arrest warrant for his alleged role in the country’s largest gold and cash heist has been tracked down living on the outskirts of Chandigarh, India.
Peel Regional Police had been investigating the high-profile theft that occurred on April 17, 2023, when an air cargo container carrying more than 22 million Canadian dollars’ worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from a secure storage facility at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. The stolen cargo, which had arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland, was taken using forged paperwork.
Canadian authorities had issued arrest warrants for multiple suspects, including 31-year-old Simran Preet Panesar from Brampton, Ontario, who was an Air Canada manager at the time of the heist. While several individuals of Indian origin—Archit Grover, Parmpal Sidhu, and Amit Jalota—were apprehended last year, Panesar had managed to evade capture and flee Canada.
According to an investigation conducted by The Indian Express in collaboration with CBC News: The Fifth Estate, Panesar is currently living in a rented house with his family in India. His wife, Preety Panesar, a former Miss India Uganda, singer, and actor, is reportedly running a business in India. However, she is not believed to have been involved in the heist.
When approached by reporters at his residence, Panesar declined to comment “on record,” citing legal reasons. A neighbor mentioned that they had heard about Panesar’s “monetary dispute in Canada” but were told the matter had been resolved. However, investigations reveal that shortly after the heist, Panesar had taken Canadian police on a tour of the cargo facility before disappearing and fleeing to India. Reports last year suggested he intended to surrender to Canadian authorities in June 2023, but this never materialized.
Peel Regional Police disclosed that the stolen cargo consisted of 6,600 bars of .9999 pure gold, weighing approximately 400 kilograms, valued at over 20 million Canadian dollars, along with 2.5 million Canadian dollars in foreign currency. Authorities have since recovered a portion of the stolen assets, including one kilogram of gold worth approximately CAD 89,000, smelting equipment, and around CAD 434,000 in cash.
The investigation also revealed that at least two former Air Canada employees had played a role in orchestrating the heist. While one is now in custody, an arrest warrant remains active for Panesar. Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick confirmed that both Panesar and another suspect, Parmpal Sidhu, were employed by the airline at the time of the theft.
Among the nine suspects implicated in the case is Canadian national Durante King-McLean, who allegedly drove the truck used to transport the stolen gold. Investigators identified Archit Grover as the owner of the trucking company responsible for the vehicle, while Grover’s cousin, Amit Jalota, and his associate, Arsalan Chaudhary, reportedly managed the stolen gold. Additional suspects, including Ali Raza, Ammad Chaudhary, and Prasath Parmalingam, allegedly assisted in moving King-McLean across the border into the United States.
Peel Regional Police assigned a team of 20 officers to the case, working full-time to piece together the details of the elaborate theft. Despite multiple arrests and ongoing investigations, Panesar remains at large in India, evading Canadian authorities.
While Panesar has not responded to legal inquiries or media queries, he cited concerns for his family’s safety as a reason for his silence. His current legal status remains unclear, and Canadian authorities continue to seek his extradition for prosecution in one of the country’s most significant gold heists.
