Calgary Police Service (CPS) and their collaborative partners across Canada have located and charged four men involved in a violent kidnapping that took place last year.
July 4, 2023 is when the original call was made to emergency services in Calgary from a man reporting a family member had been abducted. The offenders had also allegedly broken into the man’s home, located on the 500 block of Fourth Avenue NE, allegedly assaulting him with a weapon and robbing him.
The offenders had then contacted the man over the phone demanding a ransom in exchange for the family member they had abducted.
Video updates were sent to the family of the victim of the offenders reiterating their ransom demands.
“They don’t affiliate with traditional organized crime groups. These new groups are quite fluid, they work, and they change almost daily,” said Staff Sergeant Roland Stewart of CPS.
A day later, the victim was released by the offenders and found in the downtown area by CPS with only minor injuries. Salah Aden was arrested and charged but released on bail, then failed to appear at his November 2023 court date.
“Upon receiving this information, our officers immediately initiated a response and deployed numerous resources from across the service in an attempt to safely locate and rescue the victim,” said Inspector Shanon Scott of the CPS Organized Crime and Offender Management Section.
CPS then launched an 11-month-long investigation into the incident. Through 44 judicial authorizations, several search warrants, production orders and the seizure of 29 electronic devices, CPS and their partners identified three additional suspects believed to be involved in the kidnapping and home invasion. The remaining suspects were found in Toronto, Calgary and Fort McMurray.
“No matter how much time has passed or where suspects flee, the investigators will dedicate resources to the suppression, investigation, and enforcement of all violent events that occur within our city,” said Scott.
Salah Aden was re-arrested on May 8, 2024, by officers from the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Toronto Police Service. His court date is July 16, 2024.
Aden’s charges were as follows:
- Robbery
- Kidnapping
- Two counts of failure to comply with a release order
- Possession of an unlicensed weapon
- Possession of a restricted firearm
- Assault with a weapon
- Failure to attend court
Mustafa Saeed was arrested on June 5, 2024, by CPS at his residence on the 3500 block of Eighth Avenue SW. His next court date is July 15, 2024.
Saeed’s charges were as follows:
- Robbery
- Kidnapping
- Extortion
- Two counts of assault with a weapon
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Pointing a firearm
- Three counts of breach of a release order
Brandon Power was arrested on June 10, 2024 by Fort McMurray RCMP. He was allegedly in possession of two handguns, ammunition and drugs. His court date is July 24, 2024.
Power’s charges were as follows:
- Robbery
- Forcible confinement
- Extortion
- Five counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Assault with a weapon
- Breach of undertaking
- Unsafe storage of a firearm
- Possession of a restricted firearm
- Possession of proceeds of crime
Mohit Sandhu, the final suspect, was arrested on June 18, 2024, with help from Toronto Police Service. His court date is July 9, 2024.
Sandhu’s charges were as follows:
- Instructing an indictable offence
- Robbery
- Extortion
Kidnappings in Calgary are not the most common kind of crime but according to Statistics Canada, Calgary has had an average of 24 reported kidnappings from 2018 to 2022.
“We are seeing it, but it’s a pretty rare occurrence,” said S/Sgt. Stewart.
CPS asks that Calgarians come forward with any information on organized crime they may have to aid with current and future investigations.
“Any piece of information, big or small, may have a significant impact on any investigation,” said Scott.
