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Gold robbers on the prowl, targeting stores in Ontario, Quebec
Most of the victims of their armed heists are jewelers of South Asian descent in general and Indian descent in particular.
Representative Image. / Pexels
Gold has become the most sought-after commodity for robbers in Canada. Sporting masks they come in SUVs, ram their vehicles into the stores and decamp with their booty, most of the time running into thousands of dollars.
Spurt in gold heists has come at a time when jewelers normally hope for good business during the holiday season and Christmas celebrations in particular. For the South Asian community, it is the time when most weddings are solemnized, with gold and diamond jewelry items remaining the most sought-after items for these occasions.
The gold robbers have been striking not only in Ontario but also in other provinces, including Quebec. Most of the victims of their armed heists are jewelers of South Asian descent in general and Indian descent in particular. In some of the cases, the owners of ill-fated jewelry shops are left fighting for their lives after being attacked and injured grievously by the assailants.
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has seen a rise in jewelry store robberies this year, leaving many jewelers fearing for their safety while on the job. Figures from local police forces show that numbers have doubled, and even tripled, in some regions.
In Toronto, there have been 43 robberies targeting jewelry stores in 2024 with just a week to go before the end of the year, up from 21 during the same period in 2023.
Meanwhile, Peel Region has seen 37 robberies this year so far, up from 10 recorded over the same period in 2023, while York Region has had 13 robberies so far, compared to seven over the same period in 2023.
The general modus operandi has been the same. The robbers come prepared by making their faces smashing their vehicles into jewellery stores and decamping with their loot.
The situation in Quebec is no better. To cap it all, one of the major gold heists in the history of Canada has been reported from Pearson International Airport.
It occurred on April.17, 2023, with over Canadian $20 million (US$15 million) worth of gold and cash in foreign currency being stolen. On the evening of April.17, a container containing gold bars and foreign currency was offloaded off an inbound aircraft and transferred to an Air Canada holding facility at the airport.
According to Peel Regional Police lead investigator Detective-Sergeant Mike Mavity, the theft was the single-largest gold heist in Canadian history. The police claim to have tracked down the case and made some arrests. Nine people have been charged with the heist. Some members of the South Asian community were involved. However, incidents of gold heists have continued unabated.
Though jewelers have been raising their voices about safety concerns, the police forces in different regions have been unable to contain this disturbing trend in posh urban complexes.
The recent experiences of some of the victims stand as a stark reminder of the vulnerability facing small and medium businesses in high-crime areas.
Despite repeated warnings of harrowing ordeal about safety concerns in his neighborhood, Gaganjeet Singh, a jewelry store owner in Montreal, underwent a harrowing experience on Saturday evening when armed bandits executed a calculated smash-and-grab at his shop. Using a car to ram through the storefront of Famous Jewellers in Parc-Extension, the robbers stole between $600,000 and $700,000 in gold, leaving Singh injured and his business in shambles.
Intriguingly, Singh had recently called the police to enhance patrols along de Liège Street. Expressing his frustration and fear after the robbery. “I warned them, but nothing changed,” Singh said. “We work tirelessly, especially during the holiday season, and now everything is gone.”
The incident was captured on surveillance cameras that recorded a car reversing into the shop with force. Three masked individuals stormed in, smashing display cases and grabbing gold jewelry. Employees screamed as Singh valiantly tried to confront the thieves, sustaining injuries to his upper body.
“They didn’t just destroy the store; they hurt all of us,” Singh said, still recovering from the ordeal.
This brazen heist is not the first time Famous Jewellers has been victimized. Earlier this year, the store was burglarized, leaving Singh and his employees on edge.
The robbery highlights a troubling pattern of thefts targeting Montreal businesses. On Dec.17, thieves broke into a boutique in Mile End, stealing $8,000 worth of goods. Nearby jewelry stores have also reported break-ins in recent weeks, raising alarm among local business owners.
For Singh, the lack of proactive security measures has been disheartening. “I warned the police, and yet here we are,” he said. “Our safety and livelihood are at stake, and we need immediate action,” he was quoted by media.
In yet another brazen armed robbery in the Greater Toronto Area on Dec.22, a shop owner ended up in a hospital after another smash-and-grab jewelry store robbery incident. Toronto police say it responded to the robbery near Islington Avenue and Albion Road in Rexdale just before 5:30 p.m. In the South Committee parlance, this area is addressed as "Chaura Bazaar" as it has shops and businesses of the immigrant community.
The suspects crashed a vehicle into the building, then entered the store and stole some merchandise before fleeing the area, police said in a post on social media. Video of the robbery posted online shows at least three suspects in disguise swinging sledgehammers inside Raj's Jewellery moments after driving a truck into the shop.
Police say one person who was inside at the time was injured during the robbery and taken to hospital.
The store's co-owner Sadia Sharma said her husband was the person who was injured after being attacked by the suspects. Sharma said Monday he remains in hospital with serious injuries.
Their neighbors were left scarred as they held that they had been doing business in the area for 25 years but never witnessed such a daring robbery.
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