Former boyfriend accused in disappearance of missing woman seeks bail
After eight hours of deliberations on Thursday, Mohamad Lilo’s bail hearing will resume on Monday in Barrie to determine whether the former boyfriend of Elnaz Hajtamiri should be released from jail.
Lilo, who was arrested last month in the Montreal area, is charged with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and kidnapping related to the disappearance of Hajtamiri; who hasn’t been seen or heard from since Jan. 12.
Police say Hajtamiri was forcibly taken from a Wasaga Beach home, where she had been in hiding, by three men posing as police officers in a white Lexus SUV.
According to investigators, Hajtamiri was assaulted with a frying pan weeks earlier in an underground parking garage in Richmond Hill. Her family says she sustained serious injuries to her head and required more than 30 stitches. The alleged attempted abduction was thwarted when a passerby witnessed two men trying to take her away and interfered.
Police arrested one man in Brampton in April. Riyasat Singh is charged with attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, among other offences. His co-accused is Harshdeep Binner; he remains on the loose with a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.
- Mohamad Lilo seeks bail after being charged in Elnaz Hajtamiri disappearance
- Latest developments in the Elnaz Hajtamiri investigation
CTV News has confirmed both Singh and Binner were arrested in late March by police in Edmonton following an investigation into the theft of about 40 Ford F-150 pickup trucks. They were released after being charged with vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and possession of break-in instruments.
All along, Ontario Provincial Police investigators said Lilo, who was initially charged with criminal harassment about a week after Hajtamiri’s disappearance, has offered little help to police.
Six months after Hajtamiri’s disappearance, Lilo was arrested, charged and flown by police to Ontario on July 12. He’s been in custody since. The 35-year-old accused’s lawyer, Philippe Grenier, maintains his client’s innocence as he seeks his release pending a trial conducted in the French language.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for "all parties" to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Taylor Swift drops 15 new songs on double album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology'
On Friday, the pop star released her 11th album and at 2 a.m. Eastern, she released "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," featuring 15 additional songs.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.