A special flight from Zurich to Toronto carried not passengers, but 400 kilos of gold. Upon landing in Toronto, the gold-filled container was stored in the airport's cargo warehouse. This set the stage for the biggest heist in Canadian history. It prompted the police to launch 'Operation 24 Karat.'
April 17, 2023, 5:56 PM
An Air Canada cargo plane, heavy with 6,600 gold bars valued at nearly 20 million Canadian dollars from a Swiss metal refining company, lands in Toronto. These precious bars and 1.9 million in currency, destined for the Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange, bore the immense responsibility of being safely transported and guarded.
April 17, 2023, 6:32 PM
A white box truck arrives at the very warehouse where this precious shipment has been stored. The driver presents an airway bill which details the shipment from Zurich, misrepresenting its content as the world's finest Atlantic salmon, intended for further delivery. The warehouse staff, unaware of the actual contents, hands over the valuable shipment to the driver. The truck, now laden with the misidentified gold bars and currency, vanishes into the night past the check-posts.
April 17, 2023, 9:30 PM
Piecing together the puzzle, the realization dawns that a devastating scheme has unfolded. Brink's Security arrives to receive the shipment only to find it's vanished. The situation escalates; an operation named 24 Karat is set in motion as CCTV plays a crucial role in tracking down the white truck that seems to have simply disappeared. Fingerprints left by the driver become the focal clue.
Source: aajtak
The world's sixth largest heist unfolds rapidly.
Six individuals have been arrested; the white-box-truck driver, caught in the US, leading to a breakthrough five months after the theft. Most of the stolen gold bars have been melted to obscure their serial numbers and convert them into untraceable jewels, only a few remain.
A Series Inspired Crime
The culprits admit the heist was inspired by a popular web series. Fingerprints of the driver obtained during the robbery led to his capture and opened a gateway into unraveling the full extent of the scheme. Despite the progress, the majority of the stolen gold and currency remains uncovered.
