Wasaga Beach, Ont., abduction suspects posed as police officers, struggled with victim
Investigators say they are looking for three suspects who posed as police officers before abducting a woman in Wasaga Beach.
During a press conference on Tuesday, the OPP said 37-year-old Elnaz Hajtamiri was taken from a home on Jan. 12 around 8:30 p.m. by three armed Black men dressed in police gear, but not actual uniforms, who claimed to be there to place her under arrest.
"Upon arrival, they [officers] met with the victims, and they learned that three males, described as Black males wearing police-issued gear, had attended the residence, identified themselves as police, and advised the homeowners they had a warrant for the victim's arrest.
The homeowner became suspicious, at which time they [suspects] overpowered him and abducted the victim," said Ontario Provincial Police Det.-Insp. Matt Watson.
Police said surveillance video captured three men fleeing the scene in a white SUV, believed to be a Lexus RX.
It remains unclear whether Hajtamiri and the suspects knew each other or why she was targeted.
Police said the woman's family is cooperating with the investigation.
"Investigators and the family of Elnaz Hajtamiri are concerned for her safety and well-being. The OPP is deploying all available resources to help locate Elnaz Hajtamiri and bring her home," police stated in a release Tuesday.
Hajtamiri, who also goes by the surname Tamiri, is five feet three inches tall, with a slim build and shoulder-length black hair.
Police launched a dedicated tip line and urge anyone with information to contact them at 1-833-728-3415 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.
Police also created the hashtag #BringElnazHome.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.