Web desk
BRAMPTON: In a major breakthrough, Peel Police say 16 persons have been arrested and 369 stolen vehicles worth $33.2 million recovered from them.
Five Brampton Indo-Canadian Punjabi men – Beerpal Singh (29), Harmeet Singh (34), Valbir Singh (49), Gurpreet Dhillon (41), Jagmohan Singh (57) – and Guljinder Singh (29) from Bolton are among those arrested.
They face multiple charges, including trafficking in stolen goods, unauthorized possession of firearms and disobeying court orders.
A Brampton company has been found to be facilitating the transport of stolen vehicles out of its trucking yard.
Arrests have been made under Project Odyssey, a seven-month-long investigation into the organized crime of stealing vehicles from the Greater Toronto Area aand transporting them to the Port of Montreal.
While 16 people are in custody, warrants have been issued 10 more persons. They face 322 charges.
Among the 369 stolen vehicles, 255 were recovered in Peel Region and 114 at the Port of Montreal.
Three transport trucks and two bobcats have also been seized.
Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said, “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.”
