A Quebec man is accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, in January. Six months later, the 37-year-old woman remains untraceable.
Posted at 5:56 p.m.
Updated at 6:20 p.m.
The suspect, Mohamad Lilo, will appear this Wednesday in the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie. The 35-year-old man from Brossard is charged with kidnapping, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.
On January 12, three people wearing fake police uniforms forced their way into a home in Wasaga Beach, about 100 kilometers north of Toronto. They would have kidnapped Elnaz Hajtamiri, a young woman who emigrated from Iran to Canada less than four years ago.
The men reportedly fled with the woman in a white Lexus RX sport utility vehicle, which is a 2016-2022 model.
Six months later, Mr.me Hajtamiri remains untraceable. Mme Hajtamiri is approximately 5ft 3in and had black hair when abducted.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
Elnaz Hajtamiri
The Ontario Provincial Police confirmed to The Press that the accused was a former boyfriend and business associate of the victim. However, he claims to have no information on a possible motive or justification for this crime. No ransom was demanded.
Previous attack
A month before her abduction, on December 20, the young woman was attacked and beaten with a frying pan in an underground garage in Richmond Hill, located in the metropolitan Toronto area. The attackers also allegedly tried to kidnap him. A man would have intervened, and the attackers would have fled in a vehicle.
In April, having still not found the young woman, the Ontario Provincial Police broadcast a video call for help from the mother of the victim who lives in Iran. An appeal to communities of Iranian descent in the Greater Toronto Area and Montreal has also been launched for new information.
The day after the video was released, two men, Riyasat Singh and Harshdeep Binner, were arrested in connection with the stove attack in Richmond Hill.
Further investigation led to the arrest Tuesday of Mohamad Lilo, of Brossard. He is charged with attempted murder and kidnapping in connection with the incident of the attack in Richmond Hill and is charged with kidnapping in Wasaga Beach.
The 30-year-old was charged in January with criminal harassment of his ex-girlfriend.
Research continues
Ontario police are continuing to search for the woman. “We desperately need your help. If you have any information, please report it to the police. I beg of you, as a mother: guide us, tell us what you know, whatever it is. Please help us find Elnaz,” implored Elnaz’s mother, Fariba Hajtamiri.
Anyone with information is asked to call the hotline at 1-833-728-3415 or anonymously and confidentially with the Ontario Crime Stoppers Association (OCTA) at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
The police force invites the public to spread information and photos of Elnaz Hajtamiri on social networks using the hashtag #BringElnazHome.