Canadian police have arrested and charged a man in a kidnapping case that has baffled investigators for months and produced few leads.
Mohamad Lilo, an ex-boyfriend and former business partner of Elnaz Hajtamiri, was charged with her kidnapping, six months after she was abducted by men dressed as police officers.
On 12 January, three men forced their way into a property in an Ontario beach community and, after overpowering the homeowner, seized Hajtamiri, who was born in Iran, hauling her barefoot through the snow into a vehicle and speeding off into the dark.
In a statement after the police announced the charge, her family said: “These past six months have been gruelling and painful since her disappearance, as we’ve continued to search endlessly for her.
“We’ve been met with nothing but silence from the abductors, and not a trace has been found from our beautiful girl. We hope that the arrest of this suspect will bring us closer to finding her.”
Police said Lilo was also facing charges of attempted murder and attempted kidnapping in connection with a previous assault on Hajtamiri, who was attacked in an underground garage and beaten with a frying pan.
The attack caused serious head wounds that required 40 stitches. Police said they later retrieved a tracking device from the scene. Two other tracking devices were found in her car when she brought the vehicle in for a service in November.
In April, York region police arrested Riyasat Singh in connection with the assault at the garage, charging him with attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.
Officers also issued a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of Harshdeep Binner, who faces the same charges. Months later, however, he remains at large.
Lilo was arrested in Quebec and flown to Ontario, where he is due to appear in court on Wednesday. His lawyer said he would plead not guilty to the charges.
Aside from Lilo’s alleged involvement in both attacks, police say they do not believe the same men were involved in the kidnapping on 12 January.
A spokesperson for the Ontario provincial police told local media that the case had been “very frustrating” for investigators.
Bill Dickson said: “We know she’s got to be out there somewhere and our investigative team has been working tirelessly trying to find out where she is, how she was taken from Wasaga Beach to some other location, was she relocated after that – we just don’t know.”
Police have called on the public to come forward with any possible leads that could help locate the missing woman.
Dickson said: “Our hope is we don’t find a body. Our hope remains that is we will find Elnaz Hajtamiri alive and bring her home to her family.”
