The use of Punjabi for sexual assaults in Canada helps police arrest a suspect of Indian origin

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, has been charged with kidnapping, assault, assault with a weapon, assault by strangulation, robbery and uttering threats, according to Peel police.

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

The assaults occurred in the Brampton and Vaughan areas on November 8 and 16, 2024. In both cases, the suspect, who was driving a black four-door sedan, “pretended to be a ride participant” before luring the victims into his car and giving them sexually abuse.

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

The victim was waiting at a bus stop near Countryside Drive and Bramalea Road in Brampton when the suspect offered her a ride in his black sedan. She was then driven 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 posed as a taxi driver. 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 occurred 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 attack occurred.

Peel Regional Police believed the same person was responsible for all three attacks. The suspect’s use of Punjabi language during the incidents helped law enforcement trace the suspect and arrest Arshdeep Singh.