Two Indian nationals have been charged and 12 are wanted by Canadian law enforcement for their alleged participation in a criminal tourism racket. They were among the 46 individuals that have been charged and 164 suspects who remain at large as a result of a long-term investigation called Project Jetsetter.
A wide range of organised criminal activity was covered under the investigation, including large-scale retail theft operations, vehicle purchasing scams, vehicle financing fraud, staged collisions for insurance fraud, jewelry distraction thefts, and theft and exportation of vehicles and other goods.
“This initiative targeted organised groups travelling to Canada for the purpose of executing high-profit crimes, often connected to international criminal networks. These activities are deliberate, coordinated, and profit-driven; not random or opportunistic,” Durham Regional Police Service or DRPS said in a statement released on Friday, adding, “These offences are structured, repeatable, and designed to maximize financial gain.”
The Indians charged include 23-year-old Arshjot Singh Dhillon, and Arman Sharma, also 23. Those wanted for their alleged involvement in such criminal tourism include Arshdeep Gurm, 25, Savan Dharmeshbhai Pavadiya, 26, Jagdeep Singh, 34, Gurpreet Kaur, 33, Harsimran Singh Dhillon, 28, Amarjeet Singh Gill, 33, Gurinder Singh, 28, Pardeep Kumar, 31, Sher Singh, 31, Paramjeet Singh, 43, Jasdeep Singh, 30, and Nitika Singla, 28.
DRPS said that through more than nine separate investigations and over 5,000 investigative hours, its Financial Crimes Unit tracked more than 200 incidents tied to criminal tourism, resulting in over CA$ 2.61 million in confirmed financial losses in Durham Region of Ontario alone.
The investigations connected to Project Jetsetter date back to 2019, involve over 1,440 charges, and remain ongoing as investigators continue to identify additional incidents linked to criminal tourism, DRPS added.
“Criminal tourism is a recent, borderless form of organised crime that impacts the daily lives of Canadians and underscores the need for strong global partnerships. Our intelligence programme works closely with our policing partners to connect the dots and enhance public safety,” Mario Panizzon, Director General of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s National Intelligence, said.
The vast majority of those named in the 73-page list of accused released by police were Romanians.