TORONTO- Investigators examining the 2023 Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) gold heist have presented text messages exchanged between two Air Canada (AC) employees accused of involvement in the theft of more than C$22 million in gold and cash.
The messages, recovered from a seized phone, included a supervisor’s remark that the two were “looking good” on the day of the robbery, followed by a conversation about a reported heist at the cargo facility.
The evidence emerged during the trial of Parmpal Sidhu, a former Air Canada cargo warehouse employee who has pleaded not guilty to theft and conspiracy charges.
His former manager, Simran Preet Panesar, is also accused in the case but remains a fugitive believed to be in India, according to court reporting.
Suspicious Heist Day Texts
Peel Regional Police seized Sidhu’s phone when they arrested him on April 5, 2024, nearly a year after the theft.
Detective-Constable Edil Aden told the court that investigators used Cellebrite digital-forensics software to extract messages, call logs, images, videos, and other data from the device.
Among the recovered exchanges was a conversation from the morning of the heist. Panesar, who supervised Sidhu at the cargo warehouse, sent an upbeat greeting before Sidhu replied that he was exhausted and had not slept.
Panesar then wrote, “We looking good anyways for today.” Prosecutors highlighted the message because it was exchanged on the date of the theft, although the court heard no definitive explanation of what the two men meant.
The pair exchanged dozens of short messages that day. Hours after the theft, Sidhu reportedly messaged Panesar that a cousin connected to Peel had heard about a “brings heist” at the cargo facility the previous night and asked whether Panesar knew anything about it.
Panesar replied that nothing of the sort had happened. The reference was understood to possibly mean Brink’s, the security company transporting the shipment, although the precise context of the exchange was not established in court.
Gold Shipment Worth Millions
The theft occurred in April 2023, when a shipment containing gold and cash valued at more than C$22 million arrived at Toronto Pearson on an Air Canada flight from Switzerland.
The shipment was intended for TD Bank, with Brink’s responsible for transporting the valuables.
The disappearance went unnoticed until Brink’s personnel arrived to collect the crate several hours later. Investigators allege that people with access to the airport’s cargo operations helped facilitate the theft.
Court testimony also revealed that the air waybill used to collect the shipment had been printed inside the Air Canada warehouse using Sidhu’s login credentials.
However, Aden told the court she did not believe Sidhu’s fingerprints had been found on the document, and police recovered no gold bars during a search of his home.
Sidhu’s lawyer, Shale Wagman, challenged the interpretation of the suspicious messages, suggesting that Panesar’s statement about looking good could have referred to ordinary work matters.
Aden agreed that it could have another meaning but maintained that its timing made it relevant to the investigation.
Messages Reveal Falling Out
The evidence also showed that Sidhu and Panesar had a friendship outside work.
Their communications included discussions about gym visits, haircuts, coffee, shared rides and personal recommendations, while Sidhu had several ways to contact Panesar, including WhatsApp and Signal.
Investigators also presented a screen recording found on Sidhu’s phone that showed a message reading “Last chance,” followed by a sequence in which Panesar was blocked on Instagram. Aden cautioned that police could not establish who made the recording or when it was created.
Other Instagram messages dated January 30, 2023, suggested that the relationship had become strained, Vancouver Sun flagged.
Sidhu referred to cash and urged the other party to speak to a lawyer and do the right thing, although the exchange’s full context remained unclear.
Another accused person, Arsalan Chaudhary, admitted in April to being the heist’s ringleader and received a four-year prison sentence.
The trial of Sidhu continues to examine digital evidence surrounding the theft, including the messages, the shipment paperwork, and the relationships among those accused.
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