Use of Punjabi for sex assaults in Canada helps police nab Indian-origin suspect

A 22-year-old Indian-origin man from Brampton, Canada, has been arrested and charged in connection with sexually assaulting three women earlier in November. The suspect, Arshdeep Singh, who spoke Punjabi to the victims in all three incidents, according to Peel Police, has been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault by strangulation, robbery, and uttering threats.

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

The sex assaults occurred in the Brampton and Vaughan areas on November 8 and November 16, 2024. In each case, the suspect, driving a black 4-door sedan, “purported to be a rideshare operator” before luring the victims into his car and sexually assaulting them.

The first attack took place on November 8, at approximately 7 am.

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

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

The third incident of sexual assault took place on November 16.

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

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