Elnaz Hajtamiri’s ex-boyfriend is facing charges in connection with her alleged abduction six months ago in Wasaga Beach, Ont.
After an investigation, police charged Mohamed Lillo of Montreal with kidnapping, which provincial police confirmed was connected to Haitamiri’s Jan. 12 disappearance. He is also charged with attempted murder and attempted kidnapping in connection with the December 2021 attack on Haitamiri in Richmond Hill.
Nine days after her disappearance, the OPP announced that Lilo had been charged with criminal harassment. Police have confirmed that Haitamiri was the victim of criminal harassment following alleged threats from Lilo after she broke up with him in the autumn.
THE KIDNAPPING AND THE ATTACK
In January, Haitamiri was forcibly taken from a family member’s home – where she had been hiding since the attack – by three men posing as police who claimed to have a warrant for her arrest.
According to York Regional Police, two men attacked Haitamiri in an underground car park in Richmond Hill weeks before her alleged abduction.
She suffered a head injury that required about 40 stitches on her forehead. Police later confirmed that she had been hit in the head with a frying pan.
Haitamiri’s family said a tracking device was found in her car during the attack on the parking lot.
RELATED ARRESTS
In April, two more men, Riyasat Singh and Harshdeep Binner, were charged by York Regional Police with attempted murder and attempted kidnapping in connection with the Dec. 20 underground garage attack in Richmond Hill.
Singh was arrested at a home in Brampton on April 14, while a Canada-wide warrant was issued for Binner.
Both Biener and Singh were previously arrested in Alberta in March following a police investigation into the theft of more than 40 Ford F-150 pickup trucks in Edmonton.
Haitamiri, now 38, has not been seen or heard from since her alleged abduction.
She is five feet three inches tall, with a thin build and shoulder-length black hair that was cut short before she disappeared.
Police say she immigrated to Canada from Iran less than four years ago.
FAMILY RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS
The Haytamiri family released a statement following news of the allegations.
It read: “We are grateful to hear that the OPP has made progress in arresting the suspects in her assault and abduction and understanding what happened to our dear Elnaz.
The past 6 months have been exhausting and painful since her disappearance as we have continued to search endlessly for her. We met only silence from the captors and no trace of our beautiful girl.
We hope that the arrest of this suspect will bring us closer to finding her.”
The family expressed their gratitude to OPP investigators and officers “for their tireless work, compassion and dedication to this case. We are truly grateful and hope that this development will lead us to finding Elnaz.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the special tip line at 1-833-728-3415, local police or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous.
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