According to recent announcements by authorities, three Canadian Armed Forces soldiers are linked to a violent kidnapping case involving cryptocurrency in Toronto. In total, seven suspects now face 82 criminal charges.
On July 25, the owner of a cryptocurrency exchange in North York, Toronto, was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint.
The Toronto Police Service stated that the victim was walking toward their car parked near Finch Avenue East and Bayview Avenue when they were taken against their will by a group of suspects.
According to police, during the kidnapping, the suspect allegedly handcuffed the victim and assaulted them in an attempt to force them to access their own crypto assets and security tools related to their business.
In the end, the victim was released but told not to report the incident.
Police stated that it is currently unclear whether the suspected attackers successfully obtained any crypto assets or what specific assets they were attempting to steal.
Three of the seven suspects are soldiers.
Investigators later discovered an unexpected situation: three of the seven individuals allegedly involved in these suspected criminal activities were actually members of the Canadian military.
Authorities confirmed that the three soldiers are Talarambage Fernando, 22; James Moreau, 29; and Jack Miley, 24.
Fernando and Moreau were arrested on August 11, and Miley was arrested on September 24.
The charges against these individuals include armed extortionate kidnapping and forcible unlawful confinement, among others.
According to the Canadian Department of National Defence, Fernando joined the reserve forces in January 2020 but was never deployed for any missions.