York Regional Police say two Canada-wide arrest warrants have been issued in connection with the “vicious attack” of Elnaz Hajtamiri in Richmond Hill a month before she was allegedly abducted in Wasaga Beach.
At a press conference on Thursday, Det. Sgt. Jason Dinsmore said the arrest warrants are for two men who “were directly involved in the planning and execution of that attack.”
On Dec. 20, 2021, officers said an assault was reported at the underground parking garage of a condo on King William Crescent near Yonge Street and Bantry Avenue in Richmond Hill.
Police said a female victim, Hajtamiri, who was 37 years old at the time, was “viciously” attacked by two men and was struck by a frying pan.
Since then, several arrests have been made in that incident. Five men were charged.
Of the five men, Dinsmore alleges two of them, Riyasat Singh and Harshdeep Binner, were charged for the actual physical attack on Hajtamiri.
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In an update, Dinsmore said Riyaasat Singh pleaded guilty and was deported from Canada a few months ago in December 2022 while Binner remains in custody with a court date later this month.
The two suspects wanted on Canada-wide warrants are 23-year-old Sukhpreet Singh from Mississauga and 24-year-old Jaspreet Singh from Delta, B.C.
Dinsmore said the two have ties to Ontario and British Columbia and have no familial relationship, “just a common last name.”
“We’re reaching out and trying to find answers,” Dinsmore told reporters. “For her family, for her friends, and the community at large.”
“I truly believe we will bring those responsible for the Richmond Hill attack and her subsequent disappearance to justice.”
Disappearance and alleged abduction of Elnaz Hajtamiri in Wasaga Beach, Ont
A month following the Richmond Hill attack, on Jan. 12, 2022, at 8:32 p.m., police allege Hajtamiri was then abducted from a family member’s home in Wasaga Beach, Ont., located on Trailwood Place.
Police said Hajtamiri was taken by three men wearing police gear — but not police uniforms. The suspects fled the scene in a white Lexus RX SUV.
The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the abduction portion of the investigation, while York Regional Police are looking at the assault in Richmond Hill.
Hajtamiri’s ex-boyfriend, 35-year-old Mohammad Lilo, has been charged in both the Richmond Hill attack and in her disappearance in Wasaga Beach.
Other arrests have been made in her disappearance, and other suspects and persons of interest have been identified, however, Hajtamiri has still not yet been found.
When it comes to a motive for what happened to Hajtamiri, Dinsmore said there is no direct motive, only possibilities, and he would not elaborate on what the theories are.
A $100,000 reward is still being offered by both OPP and YRP for any information that leads to the whereabouts of Hajtamiri since she disappeared more than a year ago. Dinsmore said that includes any information given anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
“We have the greatest hope that she is (alive),” Dinsmore said. “We’re trying to get those answers for her family and we are working on that day in and day out.”
Hajtamiri was 37 years old when she was abducted. She is around five feet three inches tall.
She has a slim build, and had shoulder-length black hair that had been cut shorter before she was abducted.
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