The mastermind of the spectacular Toronto airport gold heist lost his share of the loot after fleeing to Pakistan, where he said he was kidnapped by police, blindfolded and tortured until he told them where he hid his gold and cash.
asserted
he → lose → gold
“I did everything for nothing,” Arsalan Chaudhary, 43, of Mississauga, Ont., testified Tuesday as a reluctant witness in court in Brampton, Ont.
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Chaudhary → do → Brampton
Chaudhary said he was the man behind the gold heist, along with an inside man who worked with Air Canada, but after they split the stolen gold and cash, worth more than $22 million, he left Canada for Pakistan, where he was grabbed by men in police uniforms.
While he was in captivity and suffering torture and threatened with death, he was connected by FaceTime video calls to his kidnappers’ colleagues in Canada; he told them where to go to get his stash of gold hidden in a Toronto-area condo, and then to his family’s home to collect his cash.
“Before they could do anything further, I pretty much told them, ‘I’ll give you everything.
uncertain
I → say → everything
You don’t need to do anything.
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You → need → anything
You have me.
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You → have → me
They had their people go where the gold was, and they got the cash and the gold, everything.”
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they → have → cash
Once they had his loot, a hood was pulled over his head and he was driven from the small room where he had been held.
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he → have → room
When the car stopped, he said he was told to stay down and count to 30 before looking up or they would shoot him.
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they → stop → him
He waited and then got up and walked to a family member’s home in Pakistan.
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He → wait → Pakistan
Chaudhary was asked by Crown prosecutor Jelena Vlacic how he felt at that point.
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he → ask → point
“I was just thankful to be alive,” he said, “and I wanted to get the F out of Pakistan ASAP.
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I → say → Pakistan
I destroyed people’s lives.
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I → destroy → lives
I did everything for nothing.”
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I → do → nothing
Chaudhary is the star witness at the trial for an alleged co-accused in the gold heist, Parmpal Sidhu, a former Air Canada employee in the cargo warehouse where the crate of gold and cash was stolen in 2023 shortly after arriving on a flight from Switzerland.
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crate → steal → Switzerland
Although the trial is for Sidhu, who has pleaded not guilty to theft over $5,000 and conspiracy, Chaudhary said the Air Canada employee who was the key inside man at the cargo warehouse — who he planned the heist with — was Simran Preet Panesar, who is a wanted fugitive in the case, and believed to be living in India.
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who → plead → India
“I planned it,” Chaudhary said.
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Chaudhary → plan → it
“I pretty much planned the whole thing, with Mr. Panesar.”
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I → plan → Panesar
Chaudhary said he and Panesar had worked on the heist for months before it came together.
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it → say → months
“Strictly business,” Chaudhary said when asked to describe their connection.
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Chaudhary → say → connection
“Like, we were just talking about doing the heist.”
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we → talk → heist
Chaudhary made it sound like they were a perfect match if you wanted to boost gold from airport.
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you → make → airport
They each had a particular set of skills.
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They → have → skills
Panesar knew how the Air Canada cargo system worked and Chaudhary knew everything else.
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Chaudhary → know → everything
“Mr. Panesar had a great idea,” Chaudhary testified.
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Chaudhary → have → idea
“I didn’t know nothing about how the inside worked.
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inside → know → nothing
That was Mr. Panesar’s job to take care of that, and it was my job to take care of the outside, once it was put on the truck.
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it → take → truck
“He knew how to get the gold out, and I told them I’ll take care of the rest.
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I → know → rest
“They trusted me, and I had certain people that I knew who I could talk to and get the job done,” he said.
uncertain
he → trust → who
“People call me for certain things because I could do certain things.
uncertain
I → call → things
People trusted me because I’m loyal.”
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I → trust → me
The pair were hooked up by a mutual friend, he said, but then seemed to regret saying that.
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he → hook → that
He immediately couldn’t remember who the friend was, as if to prove he still had loyalty.
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he → remember → loyalty
Chaudhary said he agreed to the job because he needed money.
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he → say → money
I was out of a job, kind of struggling.
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I → struggle → job
This topic came up.
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topic → come → ?
We started talking about it.
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We → start → it
I didn’t take it seriously in the beginning, but eventually, it got serious.”
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it → take → beginning
Their plan worked ridiculously well.
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plan → work → ?
Court heard earlier how insiders at the Air Canada cargo facility used the log-in credentials of Air Canada managers to change the coding on a high-value shipment of gold and cash while the crate was still in the air, en route to Toronto from Zurich on an Air Canada jet.
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crate → hear → jet
The change meant the automatic sorting of arriving cargo didn’t send the crate to a secure area that was locked and guarded, but into an area for general cargo.
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that → mean → cargo
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
