Calgary police say four men are facing charges following a year-long investigation into a 2023 kidnapping.
Just before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, police got a call from a man who said his family member had been abducted from an unknown location and that his house, in the 500 block of 4 Avenue NE, had been broken into by three people he didn’t know, who assaulted him with a weapon and robbed him before leaving.
Investigators say the abductors made contact with the man via phone and demanded an undisclosed amount of ransom for the return of his family member.
Officers were immediately sent out to safely find and rescue the victim, according to Calgary Police Services (CPS).
Initial investigation led police to believe the incident was drug related and that several people were responsible for kidnapping the victim and holding the victim hostage.
Police say the abductors gave video updates to the family, once again demanding ransom for the safe return of their loved one.
The next day, on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, just after 5 p.m., police say the victim was released by the abductors and found by police downtown, suffering from minor injuries.
At the time, one man was arrested by police in connection to the incident.
Police then launched a wide scale investigation into the matter, which saw 44 judicial authorizations, several search warrants, production orders and the seizure of 29 electronic devices.
Through this work, investigators also identified three additional suspects they believed to be responsible for both the kidnapping and the home invasion.
Arrests made, charges laid
On Wednesday. May 8. 2024, officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) force and Toronto Police Service re-arrested 24-year-old Salah Aden, who was initially arrested and charged on July 5, 2023 in Calgary. Following his 2023 arrest, Aden was released on bail and failed to show up for his trial in November 2023.
In July 2023, Aden was charged with 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, and failure to attend court. He is set to appear in court on Tuesday, July 16.
On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary police officers arrested 23-year-old Mustafa Saeed at his home in the 3500 block of 8 Avenue SW, and charged him with robbery, kidnapping, extortion, two counts of assault with a weapon, unauthorized possession of a firearm, pointing a firearm, and three counts of breach of a release order. He is set to appear in court on Monday, July 15.
On Monday, June 10, police arrested another suspect in connection to the incident.
With help from RCMP in Fort McMurray, 22-year-old Brandon Power was arrested and his home and vehicle were searched. Police found two handguns, ammunition, and a small amount of drugs.
He is charged with 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, and possession of proceeds of crime.
Power is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, July 24.
The final suspect in the kidnapping, 22-year-old Mohit Sandhu, was arrested on Tuesday, June 18, with help from the Toronto Police Service. He is charged with instructing an indictable offence, robbery, and extortion. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, July 9.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or submit tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers.