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Ex-Boyfriend Charged In January Abduction Of Missing Canadian Woman
Elnaz Hajtamiri was abducted in Wasaga Beach, Ontario in January by three men claiming to be police officers. Her ex, Mohamad Lilo, has now been charged in case.
The ex-boyfriend of an Iranian-born Canadian woman — who was last seen being abducted by a trio of men claiming to have a warrant for her arrest — has been charged in her disappearance.
Mohamad Lilo, 35, was arrested at his house in Brossard, Quebec on Tuesday in connection with his alleged involvement in the January abduction of his ex-girlfriend, Elnaz Hajtamiri, CBC News reported.
Ontario Provincial Police described Lilo’s arrest as a “major step” in the investigation into the 37-year-old woman’s whereabouts.
"But this is not over," Bill Dickson, a spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police told CBC News. "The bottom line is we need to find Elnaz Hajtamiri, we need to find out what has happened to her. We owe that to her family, owe that to her community."
Hajatamiri hasn’t been seen since Jan. 12, when she was forcibly taken from a property in Wasaga Beach, Ontario — a small town about 85 miles north of Toronto — by a group of three men posing as police officers and claiming to be executing an arrest warrant.
Family members told the CBC that Hajtamiri had been staying in Wasaga Beach when she vanished because she feared for her life following a December parking garage attack allegedly involving Lilo.
Hajtamiri was beaten with a frying pan by two men in the parking garage of her condo in Richmond Hill — a city in the Toronto area — on Dec. 20, according to CTV News, and sustained a head injury that required 40 stitches to her forehead. Hajtamiri’s family members claimed a tracking device had been found on her car.
Lilo was charged with attempted murder and attempted kidnapping related to his involvement in the incident. The matter was before the courts at the time of her abduction.
Police say Lilo also made threats towards his ex-girlfriend shortly before she vanished, according to CTV News. Just over a week after Hajtamiri’s kidnapping, Lilo was also charged with criminal harassment of his former girlfriend.
CBC News reported in April that Lilo had hired a private investigator to surveil Hajtamiri prior to her disappearance.
York Regional Police charged Riyasat Singh, 23, of Mississauga, and Harshdeep Binner, 23, of Brampton, Ontario — another city near Toronto — in connection with Hajtamiri’s kidnapping in April, according to CTV News.
Singh and Binner face attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and mischief under $5,000 charges in connection with Hajtamiri’s abduction. Singh is currently in police custody awaiting trial in Hajtamiri’s kidnapping. Binner, whose whereabouts are unknown, has a Canada-wide warrant out for his arrest.
Lilo was expected to be flown to Ontario to appear in court on Wednesday, CBC News reported. He’s expected to plead not guilty to the charges, according to his defense counsel Philippe Grenier.
Hajtamiri's family welcomed news of Lilo’s arrest this week.
"These past six months have been grueling and painful since her disappearance, as we've continued to search endlessly for her,” the family said in a statement to CBC. “We've been met with nothing but silence from the abductors, and not a trace has been found from our beautiful girl.”
Lilo and Hajtamiri, who previously dated, broke off their relationship in October 2021.
Anyone with any information related to Hajtamiri's whereabouts is urged to contact authorities by phoning an established tip line at 1-833-728-3415. Anonymous tips can also be made via Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.
