Canada’s Biggest Gold Heist: Canadian authorities have arrested one of the alleged masterminds behind the largest gold heist in the country’s history, nearly two years after the dramatic theft unfolded at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Arsalan Chaudhary was taken into custody on Monday morning as he landed at Pearson on a flight from Dubai, Peel Regional Police said. He faces charges of theft over $5,000, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
Investigators say Chaudhary is among the final suspects to be arrested in the sweeping investigation, known as Project 24 Carat, which centres on the theft of 6,600 gold bars valued at nearly $15 million.
Arsalan Chaudhary’s Role in Canada’s Biggest Gold Heist
Peel police believe Chaudhary played a key role in Canada’s Biggest gold heist by moving the gold after it was stolen from the airport. Authorities say the precious metal has not been recovered and is believed to have been melted down and sold to multiple buyers.
The theft is believed to have been an inside job, investigators said. One suspect, a former Air Canada employee believed to have played a critical role, remains at large.
Police have already made arrests across jurisdictions, including one suspect who was taken into custody in Pennsylvania in 2024.
Canada’s Biggest Gold Heist: Cash, Smelting Equipment Seized During Investigation
As part of the ongoing probe into Canada’s Biggest Gold Heist, police seized $312,000 in cash in 2024, which they believe represents proceeds from the sale of the stolen gold.
Investigators also recovered smelting pots, casts and moulds that they believe were used to alter the composition of the gold bars.
“These items were used to change the composition of the gold bars,” Peel Regional Police Detective Sgt. Mike Mavity said during an April 2024 press conference.
Canada’s Biggest Gold Heist: How the Heist Unfolded at Pearson Airport
The gold and foreign currency stolen in the heist were ordered from a refinery in Zurich and transported to Toronto on an Air Canada flight.
According to police, shortly after the aircraft landed on April 17, 2023, the shipment was transferred from the plane to a secure cargo facility at Pearson Airport.
Later that evening, a suspect driving a five-ton truck arrived at the facility and presented a fraudulent airway bill to a cargo warehouse attendant, Mavity said. The document was a duplicate of an airway bill used the previous day to collect a seafood shipment.
After receiving the shipment, the suspect loaded the container, which held the gold and foreign currency, onto the truck and drove away.
The theft was discovered later that night when Brink’s Canada employees arrived at the cargo facility to retrieve the container and found it missing.
Other Accused in Canada’s Largest Gold Heist
Several other individuals have been charged in connection with the theft.
Archit Grover, a resident of Brampton, was arrested at Pearson International Airport in May 2024 after arriving on a flight from India.
Those already arrested also include Parmpal Sidhu, a 54-year-old former Air Canada employee, and Amit Jalota, 40, both from Ontario.
Police have also arrested Prasath Paramalingam, 36, of Brampton, and Ali Raza, 37, from Toronto.
Additionally, Ammad Chaudhary, 43, and Durante King-Mclean, 27, both from Brampton, have been charged. King-Mclean is currently in custody in the United States in connection with firearms trafficking-related charges.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
