Arrest warrant issued for suspect charged in Toronto airport gold heist

Prasath Paramalingam, 35, is seen in this photo released by Peel Regional Police. (Peel Regional Police handout)

Peel police say a bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of one of the suspects charged in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.

Prasath Paramalingam, 35, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly assisting Durante King-McLean, the suspect accused of driving off with nearly $20 million in stolen gold bars.

Police confirmed that a bench warrant, which is issued when a person fails to appear in court, has been active for Paramalingam since August.

Investigators would not provide details about the efforts being made to locate the accused.

“Some of the tactics and procedures used we rather not speak to just to preserve the integrity of the process. That being said, whenever a person is wanted it remains on the work flow/tasks of the officer in charge and constant follow-ups are made with the known information we have,” a spokesperson for Peel Regional Police said in an email to CP24.com.

“This can include canvasing any known acquaintances, surveillance efforts, etc.”

Paramalingam is one of 10 individuals facing charges in connection with the heist, which occurred at the Toronto area airport on April 17, 2023.

According to police, 6,600 gold bars were stolen from Air Canada’s cargo facility on the evening of April 17, 2023 by a suspect who arrived at the warehouse in a five-tonne delivery truck.

The gold, along with about $2.5 million in foreign currency, had been shipped to Toronto from Zurich in the hull of an Air Canada plane and was offloaded to an Air Canada cargo facility shortly after the flight landed at Pearson Airport that afternoon.

Police allege that the suspect came into possession of the stolen gold and bank notes after presenting Air Canada personnel with a fraudulent airway bill.

The alleged driver of the delivery truck, identified by police as King-McLean, was arrested by U.S. law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania in September 2023. Police said they located the suspect in a rental car near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and 65 illegal firearms were found in the vehicle.

King-McLean remains in custody in the U.S.

Canada-wide warrants remain in effect for two other outstanding suspects, identified by police as Simran Preet Panesar and Arsalan Chaudhary.