BRAMPTON — A trial is set to begin today in Brampton, Ont., for a man accused in what investigators have called one of the largest gold heists in Canadian history. Parmpal Sidhu is charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in the 2023 heist that took place at Toronto’s Pearson airport. The trial comes soon after prosecutors dropped the charges against two other men accused in the case. Last month, the Crown withdrew charges against Ali Raza, a jeweller who had been accused of knowingly receiving some of the stolen gold, and Amit Jalota. Meanwhile, a man who admitted his role in the heist was sentenced this spring to four years in prison. Arsalan Chaudhary, who was arrested earlier in the year as he flew back from Dubai, pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and was given 40 years to pay back $22 million in restitution. Peel regional police have said 6,600 gold bars weighing more than 400 kilograms were stolen from Pearson on April 17, 2023, and had a value of more than $20 million. The stolen gold and foreign currency were ordered from a refinery in Zurich, Switzerland, and were transported in the hull of an Air Canada flight to Toronto, police said two years ago as they released more details of the investigation dubbed Project 24K. The gold and currency were then offloaded and brought to an Air Canada cargo facility at the airport, police said. Later that day, a suspect presented a fraudulent airway bill to warehouse employees, who loaded the shipment onto his five-tonne truck, police alleged. Another man accused in the case, Archit Grover, is expected to face trial later this fall. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2026. Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
