The police in the region of Peel busted an auto theft gang that had created havoc in the lives of car owners in and around the Toronto area. The gang had 26 members and 6 are Indian-origin.
In total, 16 people were arrested and investigators have issued arrest warrants for 10 others. The 16 suspects arrested collectively face charges for 322 Criminal Code of Canada offences. The police recovered 369 stolen vehicles with a value of over $33 million.
“Project Odyssey is another example of incredible investigative work by our Commercial Auto Crime Bureau. In 2023, Peel Regional Police doubled the size of the Unit making it one of the largest in the country. Over the last 18 months, we have arrested close to 200 individuals, laid approximately 1,600 auto theft related offence charges, and recovered close to $100,000,000 in stolen vehicles,” said Chief Nishan Duraiappah, Peel Regional Police.
The police arrested or charged the following individuals through Project Odyssey: Beerpal Singh, Harmeet Singh, Valbir Singh, Guljinder Singh, Gurpreet Dhillon, Jagmohan Singh, Albijon Nura, Clawens St. Fleurant, Mohammad Siddiqui, Asad Mayo, Yoel Alem, Ethan Brown, Asiful Haque, Florent Bllacaku, Tahmid Kazi, Valid Mustamandi, Benjy Blain, Terrance Bellerive Toussaint, Sarugan Raja, Abhinash Shanmuganathan and more.
Commercial auto bureau Det. Greg O’Connor said the investigation started in October after officers received a tip about stolen vehicles in the shipping area of Highway 50 and Fogal Road, north of Highway 7, in Brampton. In December, he said they learned a transport truck was loaded with stolen vehicles in Mississauga.
As the investigation continued, O’Connor said a local trucking company facilitated shipping the stolen vehicles. He said a family was responsible for “facilitating and loading” the vehicles.
The vehicles were intended to be transported to Oman and UAE. The investigators informed that auto theft is become third largest organizaed crime in the country that
Project Odyssey along with nabbing the suspects, highlighted the problem of repeat offenders. Brampton Mayor expressed shock that out of these 26 people, 14 were already on release for auto theft. “I have written Minister Arif Viran in light of Peel Police’s Project Odyssey. This seven-month successful operation resulted in the recovery of 369 stolen vehicles. Despite these successes, the issue of bail for those charged with auto theft and related crimes continues to undermine our efforts to ensure community safety. Of the 26 people arrested or with outstanding arrest warrants 14 were on release or bail for auto theft related charges.”
He said the current bail system allows individuals charged with serious offenses, including auto theft, to be released back into the community pending trial. “This not only poses a significant risk to public safety but also demoralizes the law enforcement officers who work tirelessly to apprehend these offenders. The ease with which these individuals are granted bail to subsequently reoffend has become a critical issue requiring immediate attention,” he said.
A new data released by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) shows that Canada’s auto theft crisis is worsening. In 2023, the cost of insurance claims for replacing stolen vehicles in Canada skyrocketed to a record-breaking $1.5 billion. This marks the second year in a row auto theft claims costs have topped $1 billion. To put this into perspective, between 2018 and 2021, auto theft claims costs averaged $556 million annually.
“These numbers indicate that the auto theft crisis persists, disrupting the lives of Canadians and causing them concern and trauma. It places a heavy burden on law enforcement and courtroom personnel who work tirelessly to address these crimes,” said Liam McGuinty, Vice-President, Strategy, IBC. “Canada’s auto theft crisis is also placing pressure on drivers’ insurance premiums – as auto theft continues to increase, so do the associated costs. Auto theft is not a victimless crime.”
