Use of Punjabi in sexual assaults in Canada helped police catch suspect of Indian origin

A 22-year-old man of Indian descent from Brampton, Canada, was arrested and charged in connection with sexually assaulting three women in early November. The suspect, Arshdeep Singh, who spoke to the victims in Punjabi in all three incidents, is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault by strangulation, robbery and menacing, according to Peel Police.

Singh was held for a bail hearing and appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

The sexual assaults occurred on November 8 and November 16, 2024, in Brampton and Vaughan counties. In each case, the suspect, driving a 4-door black sedan, “was an alleged carpool operator” before luring the victims into his car. He sexually assaults them.

The first attack took place around 7 a.m. on November 8.

The victim was waiting at a bus stop near Countryside Drive and Bramalea Road in Brampton when the suspect offered him a ride in his black sedan. She was then taken to Highway 27 and Nashville Road in Vaughan, where she was sexually assaulted, Peel Police said in a news release.

Within an hour, he approached another woman waiting at a bus stop near Goreridge Crescent and Via Romano Way in Brampton. The suspect again pretended to be a rideshare driver. The victim was driven to a remote area near Highway 50 and Gore Road in Brampton, where she was sexually assaulted.

The third sexual assault incident occurred on November 16.

The third survivor was attacked near Airport Road and Humberwest Parkway in Brampton. A man driving a newer model sedan offered to give her a ride too. The survivor was then taken to Countryside Drive, just west of Airport Road, where the attack occurred.

Peel Regional Police operated under the belief that the same person was responsible for all three attacks. The suspect’s use of Punjabi language during the incidents helped law enforcement narrow down the suspect and arrest Arshdeep Singh.