Investigators are turning to the public for information that could help them find Elnaz Haytamiri, who was abducted from a home in Wasaga Beach, Ont., Three months ago.
One man has been arrested and another is wanted in connection with a brutal attack on an Ontario woman last December – an attack that investigators say was linked to her subsequent abduction a month later when three men dragged her barefoot through the snow from a country house relative. .
On Thursday, 23-year-old Riyasat Singh of Brampton, Ont., Was charged with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, possession of property acquired through a crime of more than $ 5,000 and mischief of less than $ 5,000 in connection with the December 20 attack on Elnaz Haytamiri , 37, in the underground garage of her condominium in the York area. A second Brampton man, Harshdip Biner, 23, is wanted on the same charges.
Ms. Haytamiri was beaten with a frying pan during the attack, which stopped after a passer-by was interrupted. Police say the suspects fled in a silver car, which was later found and found stolen from Toronto.
After the attack, Ms. Haytamiri went to stay with a family member in Wasaga Beach, Ont. There, on the evening of January 12, three men in “police equipment” broke into their home and dragged her to a waiting car. She has not been seen since.
“This is an incredibly unusual case,” OPP detective Martin Graham said in an interview earlier in the week ahead of the arrest and warrant. Police have no motive or reason for the crime, he said. No ransom was requested. In more than 32 years of police work, he said, “he has never seen a case like this.”
One of the most chilling details of the case is that before her abduction, police said Ms. Haytamiri had discovered that a tracking device had been attached to her car.
On Tuesday, the same day that police made a public request for information about the missing woman, her ex-boyfriend Mohammad Lilo appeared in court – accused of criminal harassment against her before her disappearance. Det. Insp. Graham did not provide specific details about the charges against Mr Lilo, 34, who lives in a suburb outside of Montreal, saying only that their investigation had uncovered evidence of “a pattern of behavior against Elnaz over a period of time.” ”
In addition to a personal relationship, vol. Insp. Graham said the two were involved in professional relationships related to the export business.
Philippe Grenier, Mr Lilo’s lawyer, declined to comment when he was called on Thursday night.
OPP investigators are working with the York Regional Police, given the link between the abduction and the earlier attack.
An OPP spokesman, Bill Dixon, said Thursday that the arrest and order in the earlier attack “is a very big positive step forward”.
“We will continue to work with the York Regional Police and everyone else we need to get her home.
In a statement released by the OPP earlier Tuesday, Ms. Haitamiri’s mother begged anyone with information to come out.
“We desperately need your help,” Fariba Haytamiri said in a statement. “Please, as a mother, guide us and tell us everything you know. Please help us find Elnaz.
Det. Insp. Graham could not speak of any communication between the two police services after the December attack and Ms. Haytamiri’s withdrawal to Wasaga Beach, but said he was aware that “a number of security plans” had been developed between her and the York service. .
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