The use of Punjabi in relation to sexual assault in Canada helps police catch a suspect of Indian origin

A 22-year-old Indian-origin man from Brampton, Canada, has been arrested and charged in connection with the sexual assault of three women in early November. According to Peel police, suspect Arshdeep Singh, who spoke to the victims in Punjabi in all three incidents, has been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault by strangulation, robbery and menacing.

Singh had a bail hearing and appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

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

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

The victim was waiting at a bus stop near Countryside Drive and Bramalea Road in Brampton when the suspect in his black sedan offered him a ride. 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 posed as a rideshare driver. The victim was taken to a remote area near Highway 50 and Gore Road in Brampton, where she suffered sexual assault.

The third incident of sexual assault occurred on November 16.

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

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