Trial begins for man accused in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist

Court proceedings

The trial of Parmpal Sidhu started in Brampton court on Monday. Sidhu is charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in connection with the 2023 Pearson airport heist. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Alleged fraud

Prosecutors say an Air Canada employee supplied a doctored waybill that allowed a suspect to collect the stolen cargo. The fraudulent document altered a seafood shipment waybill with a handwritten number for the gold shipment and was presented to warehouse staff, who loaded the cargo onto a five‑tonne truck.

Scale of the theft

Police report that 6,600 gold bars weighing more than 400 kilograms were taken from the Pearson cargo bay on 17 April 2023. The gold and foreign currency were ordered from a refinery in Zurich, Switzerland, and transported in the hull of an Air Canada flight before being off‑loaded at the airport.

The stolen items have been valued at more than $20 million, while prosecutors allege the total value of gold and currency exceeds $22 million.

Related charges and restitution

Arsalan Chaudhary pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and was ordered to pay $22 million in restitution. The Crown has withdrawn charges against jeweller Ali Raza and Amit Jalota. Another suspect, Archit Grover, is expected to face trial later in the fall.