Kathmandu, Jul 9: Canadian police have acknowledged that the 6,600 gold bars worth 2 billion rupees, stolen from Toronto’s Pearson Airport, are unlikely to be recovered. The theft occurred on April 17 last year, when the gold bars were taken from the Canada Cargo Terminal at Pearson Airport. The police discovered the theft three days later.

Weighing 400 kg and valued at 20 million Canadian dollars (approximately 2 billion rupees), the gold bars have not been traced. Canadian police suspect the gold may have been transported to India and Dubai.

The police compared the heist to a plot from a Netflix crime series, where gold and cash were stolen from the airport’s cargo center. The theft was executed within 42 minutes of the gold’s arrival from Switzerland to Canada. The container was discreetly moved out, and the entire cargo theft was detected on April 20, three days post-incident. A fake receipt facilitated the theft.

Police revealed that three individuals of Indian origin were arrested in connection with the case. Detective Sergeant Mawiti, the chief investigator of Peel Regional Police (PRP), stated that the bulk of the stolen gold likely entered foreign gold markets, where it would have been melted down immediately after the theft.

Previously, the PRP described the theft as the largest gold heist in Canada’s history, dubbing it ‘Project.’ The police explained that two airline employees assisted in the theft, and legal proceedings are ongoing against them. The stolen gold was reportedly melted and sold as gold bracelets.