Canada’s $22 Million Gold Heist: Trial Begins Against Punjabi-Origin Former Air Canada Employee

The trial of Punjabi-origin Parmpal Sidhu began on Monday in connection with the theft of gold and foreign currency worth $22 million (approximately Rs 185 crore) from Toronto Pearson International Airport. Prosecutors have accused Sidhu, a former Air Canada employee, of playing the role of an insider who allegedly used his access to facilitate one of the biggest gold thefts in Canada's history.
 

During the court proceedings, Sidhu denied the allegations of theft and conspiracy and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
 

Prosecutor Jelena Vlasic told the court that a fake air waybill used in the April 2023 heist had been printed from Sidhu's user profile a day before the theft. According to the prosecution, the document was subsequently used to remove the valuable consignment from the airport by loading it onto a truck.
 

Investigators have identified the truck driver involved in the operation as Durante King-McLean. He reportedly fled to the United States after the incident but was arrested in Pennsylvania in September 2023.
 

CCTV footage presented in the case reportedly shows a masked driver arriving at the airport and presenting forged documents to collect the shipment. He allegedly managed to leave with the consignment in less than an hour.
 

The stolen shipment weighed more than 400 kg and included 6,600 gold bars that had arrived from Zurich, Switzerland. The gold and foreign currency together were valued at approximately $22 million.
 

Meanwhile, Sidhu's defence lawyers have questioned the prosecution's evidence, raising concerns about whether anyone else could have accessed his computer and whether a forensic examination was conducted to establish if the document carried his handwriting.
 

Investigators acknowledged that a handwriting examination could not be conducted because the document contained insufficient handwritten material.
 

The case has also seen developments involving other accused persons. Prosecutors had earlier withdrawn the charges against two individuals, Ali Raza and Amit Jalota.
 

Another accused, Arslan Chaudhary, has already been sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $22 million in compensation. Meanwhile, the trial of another accused, Archit Grover, is scheduled to take place later this year.
 

The proceedings against Sidhu are part of the continuing legal process surrounding the April 2023 airport heist, which involved the disappearance of a major shipment of gold and foreign currency from Toronto Pearson International Airport.