Montreal police have just caught four individuals who allegedly kidnapped and kidnapped an elderly couple in their twenties in March in order to steal cryptocurrency. One of the suspects was arrested at the Calgary International Airport while on the run.
It was on March 10, around 11 p.m., in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville district. Several hooded suspects then appear out of nowhere and order a man and a woman, both in their twenties, to get into two vehicles.
They were robbed of nearly $25,000 in cryptocurrency, as well as credit cards and other property in their possession. The two victims were finally found in Dorval a few hours later; one of them was seriously injured in the face, but was doing well despite everything.
A vast investigation has been underway since that date to find the attackers. And arrests finally took place in two stages in this case, reveals a report from the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) released this Monday.
Firstly, on May 8, the first three suspects aged 18 and 19 were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Division and other specialized units. Their arrest was followed by several searches in the boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, in particular.
These searches “enabled the seizure of a loaded firearm, ammunition and a device allowing a pistol to be transformed into an automatic weapon [en anglais, un glock switch] », Says the Montreal police force.
The three suspects appeared before a judge and now face charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement, robbery and unauthorized possession of a firearm. The rest of their legal proceedings must take place by this summer.
As for the fourth suspect, aged 21, he was arrested at the Calgary International Airport last Friday after fleeing Quebec. The young man is currently detained in the Alberta province, but should be “repatriated to Montreal this week in order to appear at the courthouse,” specifies the SPVM.
Despite these outcomes, the investigation is still continuing, the police having reason to believe that other people could have participated directly or indirectly in this criminal operation.
Therefore, anyone with relevant information related to this case is invited to contact 911 or their local station. To transmit information confidentially, it is also possible to contact Info-Crime Montréal by calling 514-393-1133, or by filling out a report form on the organization’s website.
Rewards of up to $3,000 can be given for information “leading to the arrest of suspects,” under certain conditions.