The total value of the vehicles recovered is said to be more than $27 million. Credit: CBC
An ongoing investigation into vehicle and catalytic converter thefts in Toronto called Project Stallion has amounted to 300 charges laid and over 550 vehicles recovered. Of the 119 people arrested, a lot of them are of Indian-origin and some of them have multiple charges against their names.
Project Stallion was launched in November of last year by 22 and 23 Divisions in collaboration with OCIS. The objective of this operation is to reduce the number of catalytic converter thefts, and the number of stolen vehicles. Till now, the operation has led to the recovery of 556 stolen vehicles worth more than $27 million, and 314 charges laid against 119 people.
A significant number of people that have been arrested are of Indian-origin and some of them have multiple charges against them.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw said, “Vehicle thefts in Toronto have more than doubled since 2019, making it a significant issue in our city and across the GTA. Project Stallion is an example of the actions Toronto Police are taking in our local communities to tackle this growing problem. The Toronto Police Service, including our OCIS team and police divisions, are working in alignment to recover stolen vehicles and hold people who commit these crimes to account.”
Detective Sergeant Wehby shared that vehicle thefts are not exclusive to the GTA but have become a provincial, national, and international problem. “Investigators are working around the clock in collaboration with our partners in policing, government agencies, industry and our communities. Project Stallion is an example of how intelligence-led and information sharing can help us tackle this growing problem,” he added.
Some of the people arrested include:
Nirmal DHILLON, 47, of Caledon, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance
Fail to Comply with Probation Order
Sukhwinder GILL, 40, of Woodbridge, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Jagjit BHINDER, 40, of Brampton, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Clark BIENAIMELALANNE, 18, of Montreal, Quebec, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Iqbal HAYER, 50, of Toronto, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Pardeep GREWAL, 38, of Brampton, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Paul BLEPO, 19, of Angus, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under
Fail to Attend Court
Possession of Automobile Master Key
Halleigh SMITH-CRIPPS, 18, of Holland Landing, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Cris CASTRO, 44, of Toronto, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Jiten PATEL, 31, of Toronto, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under
Varinder KAILA, 32, of No Fixed Address, was charged with:
Attempt Theft
Mischief Under
Markus MALVERICK, 34, of North York, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Minh Van DUONG, 62, of North York, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of Automobile Master Key
Tampering with VIN
Jamal AZAWI, 62, of Mississauga, was charged with:
Three counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Trafficking in Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under
Nelson CASTELLANO, 51, of Toronto, was charged with:
Fraud Over
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of an Identity Document
Ibrahim HEMAID, 35, of Toronto, was charged with:
Two counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Gurveen RANOUTE, 26, of Brampton, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under
Four counts of Fraud Under
Abderrezak BOUKHAROUBA, 18, of Montreal, Quebec was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Ramanpreet SINGH, 29, of Mississauga, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Gagandeep SINGH, 23, of No Fixed Address, was charged with:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under
Two counts of Possession of A Scheduled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking
