A 28-year-old man has been charged with 14 offences after police allege he kidnapped three women in separate incidents across Metro Vancouver, Canada over just four days.
Indian-origin man Amritpal Singh faces multiple serious charges following incidents reported in Pitt Meadows, Surrey and West Vancouver in January.
Police said he faces three charges of kidnapping, three charges related to misusing computer, text and phone data, two charges of making threats, and two charges of using a fake gun while committing a crime.
He is also charged with assault, assault with a weapon, sexual assault with a weapon, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Police said the charges are linked to three incidents that happened between January 15 and January 18. Singh was arrested after the last alleged kidnapping on January 18.
At around 12.40 am that day, Ridge Meadows RCMP “received a report that a woman was allegedly being held against her will in a car,” according to the police press release. Officers were told the suspect was armed and “exhibiting threatening behaviour.”
“Police immediately pursued various investigational avenues and subsequently located the woman and male suspect in north Pitt Meadows,” the release reads.
It adds: “Upon police arrival, the suspect was safely taken into custody.”
Police later connected the Pitt Meadows case to two similar incidents in Surrey and West Vancouver on January 15 and 16. Officers then approved the 14 charges.
Police have shared limited details about the relationship between Singh and the alleged victims. They said investigators believe the women were lured “through an online platform and allegedly used it to solicit or offer employment opportunities.”
When asked whether Singh knew the women beforehand, police reiterated that they were “targeted through employment opportunities” online.
In a statement, the BC Prosecution Service confirmed that Singh has been “detained by the court” and is scheduled to appear in Port Coquitlam on March 9.
“Absent a successful bail review, Mr. Singh will remain in custody until the matter has concluded,” the BCPS said.
