Abduction of Elnaz Hajtamiri
Elnaz Hajtamiri, better known as Tamiri, was a 37-year-old Iranian woman who was aspiring to be a baker. In 2018, Elnaz left Iran after the death of her husband looking for a fresh start in Canada. For a short time, Elnaz worked in the import-export shipping industry before quitting to focus on building a cake-making business.
In October 2021, Elnaz broke up with her boyfriend, 34-year-old Mohamad Lilo. A month later, Elnaz called the police to report that Mohamad had showed up unannounced to her Richmond Hill condo. During this time, the car dealership that Elnaz leased her vehicle from had discovered two tracking devices underneath her vehicle. The devices were turned over to the police.
On December 20, 2021, police responded to the Richmond Hill condos after reports of a woman being attacked. Two masked male assaults had dragged Elnaz from her vehicle and struck her with a frying pan before fleeing the scene. The assault left Elnaz with a head wound requiring roughly 40 stitches. While searching Elnaz’s vehicle for evidence, police discovered another tracking device. According to a witness, one of the attackers filmed the assault with their phone.
Fearing for her safety, Elnaz left her home in Richmond Hill to live with a relative in Wasaga Beach, 90-miles away. On January 10, 2022, Elnaz left the home for the first time to collect her belongings - car, computer, and cellphone - from the police following the garage attack.
Two days later, three men - dressed in police gear - knocked on the door around 8:30 p.m. claiming to have a warrant for her arrest. The suspects forced their way into the home, overpowering the homeowner, before dragging Elnaz barefoot into the snow kicking and screaming. They then forced her into a white Lexus RX UV and she has not been seen or heard from again. There was no evidence of another tracking device on Elnaz’s vehicle at the time of her abduction.
Nine days after the abduction, Mohamad was arrested and charged with criminal harassment. It was later discovered that Mohamad hired a private investigator from the Investigations Plus Ltd in early December 2021 to locate Elnaz and track her movements. According to the owner of Investigations Plus, Gabriel Cojocaru, Mohamd alleged that Elnaz had stolen $100,000 from him and he needed to find her in order to serve her with court papers. The story later changed, Mohamad claiming that his brother had been shot and Elnaz was somehow involved.
On the evening of Elnaz’s abduction, the private investigator who was assigned to watch her was diabetic and left his post to grab food and take his insulin shot. Two and half hours later, Elnaz was forcibly abducted from a relative's home. Gabriel claims it was just a coincidence that no one was watching the home at the time of the abduction and no one had specifically asked him to remove surveillance.
Nearly two months later, York Regional Police released images of the two suspects from the first attack. The first suspect 25-30, 6’2”, medium build with short brown hair. He was wearing a surgical mask, camouflage puffer jacket and dark pants. The second suspect is 25-30, 5’10”, medium build. He was wearing a dark, hooded jacket and surgical mask.
The family has hired Tom Klatt, a private investigator and former Crown prosecutor Devin Bains. "If Elnaz's imminent danger was being recognized and seen — and seen the way it should have been — it is challenging to see how her relocating to a relatively remote town in Ontario increased her safety," said Lawyer Devin Bains.
On April 14, York Regional Police (YRP) announced the arrest of 23-year-old Riyasat Singh - who faces four charges, including attempted kidnapping and attempted murder - in connection with the parking garage assault. In addition, YRP issued a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of Harshdeep Binner in connection with the same assault.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigators have linked Elnaz’s abduction to the parking garage assault.
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