Police charge four men after 11-month kidnapping investigation

After an extensive investigation, utilizing several resources within the Calgary Police Service and collaborating with various law enforcement agencies across Canada, we have laid several charges in a kidnapping incident that occurred in the summer of 2023.

Addressing organized-crime-related violence in Calgary continues to be a top priority for our Service, and in this case, we dedicated resources from 17 different areas across the CPS.

On Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at approximately 9:25 p.m., we received a call from a man reporting his family member had been abducted from an unknown location and in addition, his own residence, located in the 500 block of Fourth Avenue N.E., had been broken into by three unknown offenders who physically assaulted him with a weapon and robbed him, before fleeing the area.

The abductors made contact with the man via phone and demanded an undisclosed ransom for the return of his family member.

Our officers immediately deployed numerous resources from across the Service in an attempt to safely locate and rescue the victim.

Through initial investigations, officers believed the incident to be drug-related and that several individuals were responsible for the kidnapping and were holding the victim hostage at an unknown location. The abductors provided video updates to the family, again asking for ransom in exchange for the safe return of their family member.

On Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at approximately 5:10 p.m., the victim was released by the abductors and located by police downtown, suffering from minor injuries. At the time, police arrested one man in connection to the incident.

Police then launched an 11-month investigation into the kidnapping and through 44 judicial authorizations, several search warrants, production orders and the seizure of 29 electronic devices, identified three additional suspects believed to be responsible for both the kidnapping and the home invasion.

In the months following, we continued to dedicate numerous resources to locating and arresting the suspects and collaborated with several law enforcement agencies in different jurisdictions to ensure the suspects were taken into custody.

On Wednesday, May 8, 2024, officers from the Ontario Provincial Police and Toronto Police Service re-arrested Salah ADEN, 24, who was initially arrested and charged on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, in Calgary, but was subsequently released on bail and failed to appear 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

• Failure to attend court

His next scheduled court appearance is Tuesday, July 16, 2024.

Approximately a month later, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, our officers arrested Mustafa SAEED, 23, at his residence located in the 3500 block of Eighth Avenue S.W., and charged him with:

• 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

His next scheduled court appearance is Monday, July 15, 2024.

On Monday, June 10, 2024, our officers arrested another suspect in relation to this incident. With help from the Fort McMurray RCMP, Brandon POWER, 22, was arrested and search warrants were executed for both a residence and vehicle located in Fort McMurray, Alta., and related to POWER. Police seized two handguns, ammunition and a small amount of drugs. He was 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

• Possession of proceeds of crime

His next scheduled court appearance is Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, our officers, along with help from the Toronto Police Service, arrested Mohit SANDHU, 22, the final suspect in relation to this kidnapping. A search warrant was executed at a residence in the 300 block of Front Street, Toronto, Ont., and SANDHU was taken into custody and charged with instructing an indictable offence, robbery and extortion.

His next scheduled court appearance is today, Tuesday, July 9, 2024.

This investigation highlights that no matter how much time has passed or where suspects flee to, investigators will dedicate resources to the suppression, investigation and enforcement of violence that occurs in our city.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477