Simran Preet Panesar Wanted in Canada- Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided the Mohali residence of Simran Preet Panesar on Friday morning. The 32-year-old is a suspect in biggest gold heist in Canada, valued at C$20 million (Rs 122 crore), which took place in 2023. Indian authorities are investigating whether the stolen gold or its proceeds were brought into the country.
On the morning of February 21, India woke up to news of an Enforcement Directorate raid on a residence near Chandigarh. However, this was no ordinary raid—it had ties to Canada’s largest gold heist.
Authorities targeted the home of 32-year-old Simran Preet Panesar, who is wanted by Canadian officials for his alleged involvement in the biggest gold heist in Canada and theft of over C$20 million (Rs 122 crore) worth of gold. Notably, the ED’s action came just days after The Indian Express, in collaboration with CBC News:
The Fifth Estate, revealed that Panesar had been residing near Chandigarh while evading Canadian authorities. As investigations unfold, we take a closer look at who Simran Preet Panesar is and his connection to Canada’s biggest gold heist.
ED raids at Simran Preet Panesar residence in Punjab
On Friday morning, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials arrived at Simran Preet Panesar’s residence in Mohali’s Sector 79 and began questioning him. Confirming the development, an ED official told The Indian Express, “Our teams have reached his (Preet Panesar) residence and are in the process of questioning him.”
The action follows the ED’s registration of a case against Panesar under Section 2(1)(ra) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This provision addresses offenses with “cross-border implications” and states:
“Any conduct by a person at a place outside India which constitutes an offence at that place and which would have constituted an offence specified in Part A, Part B, or Part C of the Schedule, had it been committed in India, and if such person [transfers in any manner] the proceeds of such conduct or part thereof to India.”
As reported by the Hindustan Times, the purpose of the raids is to determine whether the stolen gold from the Canadian heist or its proceeds were brought into India.
Simran Preet Panesar Wanted in Canada- lives a very low-profile life in India.
Interestingly, the raids took place just days after an Indian Express investigation uncovered that Panesar was residing in a rented apartment in Mohali with his family, including his wife, Preety Panesar—a former Miss India Uganda, singer, and actor.
The investigation also revealed that Panesar has been living a routine life, assisting with his wife’s and family’s business activities.
A neighbor told Indian Express that they had heard the 32-year-old was involved in a financial dispute in Canada but were led to believe that the matter had been resolved.
Simran Preet Panesar and biggest gold Heist in Canada
Panesar first gained attention after the gold heist at Toronto Pearson Airport on April 17, 2023. The massive robbery was orchestrated using a fraudulent shipping document meant for a load of farm-raised Scottish salmon. This deception enabled the theft of C$20 million (Rs 122 crore) worth of gold and foreign currency, leading investigators and media to label it Canada’s largest gold heist.
Investigations revealed that the stolen shipment, consisting of 6,600 bars of .9999 pure gold weighing 400 kg and C$2.5 million in foreign currency, had arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland. The cargo was intended for a bank in Canada’s largest city.
However, after landing, it was offloaded onto a large white box truck and removed from the premises, only to be reported missing the following day.
A few days later, Peel Police charged nine individuals in connection with the crime, including Simran Preet Panesar. At the time of the heist, Panesar, a resident of Brampton, was employed by Air Canada. According to police, he was designated as the primary point of contact for inquiries related to Air Canada’s warehouse operations.
A CBC report further revealed that Panesar was the only person with the required access to track high-value incoming shipments. The investigation found that he had specifically searched the system for details on the arriving flight carrying the gold and monitored its movement.
Once the plane landed, authorities claim he began tracking the container holding the gold. “He also manipulated the Air Canada Cargo system to facilitate the physical removal of the container,” states a Crown document, which further notes, “Once the theft was complete, he stopped searching altogether.”
Police suspicion deepened when Panesar resigned from Air Canada within months of the heist and vanished. However, in June 2024, Peel Regional Police announced that Panesar had agreed to surrender. At the time, his lawyer, Greg Lafontaine, told CBC that his client had “great confidence in the Canadian justice system.”
“When this prosecution is over, he will have been absolved of any wrongdoing,” Lafontaine added, without disclosing Panesar’s whereabouts. He further stated that Panesar was “tidying up his affairs abroad in preparation for his return to Canada.
Additional collaborators in the gold heist.
Canadian authorities state that Panesar was part of a nine-member operation, which also included Parampal Sidhu, another Air Canada employee. Peel Regional Police believe that both Panesar and Sidhu acted as “insiders” who collaborated to facilitate the heist.
Sidhu was arrested shortly after the theft and charged with stealing the gold. The truck driver who transported the stolen cargo, Canadian national Durante King-McLean, was apprehended in the U.S. after crossing the border illegally.
Another suspect, Archit Grover, surrendered in May 2024 upon arriving at Pearson International Airport. According to police, Grover owned the trucking company used in the theft and was also a friend of Sidhu.
Other individuals linked to the crime include Amit Jalota, who was allegedly responsible for handling the stolen gold, along with Ammad Chaudhary, Prasath Parmalingam, Arsalan Chaudhary, and Ali Raza. While most of them have been arrested, Ammad Chaudhary is reportedly hiding in Dubai, as per a CBC report.
Nearly two years after the heist, investigators have only managed to recover approximately one kilogram of gold, valued at around C$89,000 (Rs 55,000), along with approximately C$434,000 in cash.
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