One of 7 men charged in Elnaz Hajtamiri case to be released from custody
One of the seven men charged in connection with the alleged frying pan assault and attempted abduction of Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri weeks before her disappearance will be released from custody.
READ: Complete details on the Elnaz Hajtamiri investigation
Akash Rana, of Delta, B.C., charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, was granted bail in a Newmarket courtroom on Friday.
Evidence heard during the court proceedings is protected under a publication ban.
Harshpreet Sekhon, of Mono, Ont., is charged with the same offences and remains behind bars in a Lindsay jail, with a bail hearing scheduled for next week.
FRYING PAN ASSAULT
York Regional Police (YRP) said on December 20, 2021, Hajtamiri, 37, was struck in the head with a frying pan in her Richmond Hill underground parking garage by two men who were interrupted by a concerned citizen before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
She was taken to the hospital and treated for a head wound requiring roughly 40 stitches.
YRP has since confirmed they seized a tracking device, which her family said was found on her car after the assault.
Hajtamiri then went into hiding with family in Wasaga Beach before police say three suspects posing as officers dragged the five-foot-three woman barefoot through the snow to a waiting Lexus sport utility vehicle on January 12, 2022.
She hasn't been seen or heard from since.
CHARGES LAID
Provincial police have laid kidnapping charges against her former boyfriend, Mohamad Lilo, and Krystal P. Lawrence of Brampton in connection with Hajtamiri's disappearance.
Lilo, whom police say owns a shipping container business, also faces charges of attempted murder and attempted kidnapping relating to the alleged frying pan assault. Police also charged him with criminal harassment.
A warrant is out for the arrest of Toronto's Deshawn Davis, 35, while a third man believed to be involved has yet to be identified - police say he is from the Greater Toronto Area.
Harshdeep Binner and Riyasat Singh of Brampton were charged with attempted murder in the York Region attack. Singh has since been deported after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, while Binner remains behind bars.
On Thursday, YRP announced they were searching for two more suspects, Sukhpreet Singh and Jaspreet Singh, believed to have taken part in the planning and execution of the alleged attack and attempted abduction in the parking garage.
"I truly believe we will bring those responsible for the Richmond Hill attack and her subsequent disappearance to justice," said York Regional Police Det. Sgt. Jason Dinsmore during a press conference on Thursday.
The allegations against all of the accused have not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.