TORONTO: A fourth person has been arrested and charged by Canadian law enforcement in connection with a series of robberies and vandalisations in places of worship, mainly Hindu temples, in the province of Ontario between November 2021 and March this year.
Gurdeep Pandher, 37, resident of the town of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), was arrested and charged by Peel Regional Police (PRP), a spokesperson for them informed the Hindustan Times.
Responding to a query, the spokesperson, Constable Sarah Patten said he was arrested on May 2 and held for a bail hearing. She added there were “no outstanding suspects”.
Earlier, on March 4, PRP had announced that three persons had been arrested in this regard. They were identified as Indo-Canadian residents of Brampton, Jagdish Pandher, 39, Gursharnjeet Dhindsa, 31, and Parminder Gill, 42, and they have been charged with disguise with intent and break, enter and commit an indictable offence.
“Between November 2021 and March 2022, the suspects gained access into buildings, proceeded to remove cash from donation boxes inside the premises, and subsequently fled the area,” a statement released then said.
PRP noted at the time that there were as many as 13 such episodes in the region, of which nine involved Hindu temples, two each pertained to Jain temples and Sikh gurdwaras.
Investigators were searching for a “known fourth suspect” who was not named. That culminated in Gurdeep Pandher’s arrest. Investigators had also said there was “no indication that these crimes are hate-motivated”.
Police officials met with community leaders on February 16, with the mayors of Brampton and Mississauga also present, and one of those at the meeting said there may have been at least 18 such break-ins, though some were outside the Peel Police’s jurisdiction, having occurred in the town on Hamilton and even the Niagara Falls locality.
Police continue to work with temples to enhance security.
