One of the seven men charged in connection with the alleged frying pan assault and attempted abduction of Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri weeks before her disappearance will be released from custody.
Akash Rana, of Delta, B.C., charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, was granted bail in a Newmarket courtroom on Friday.
Evidence heard during the court proceedings is protected under a publication ban.
Harshpreet Sekhon, of Mono, Ont., is charged with the same offences and remains behind bars in a Lindsay jail, with a bail hearing scheduled for next week.
FRYING PAN ASSAULT
York Regional Police (YRP) said on December 20, 2021, Hajtamiri, 37, was struck in the head with a frying pan in her Richmond Hill underground parking garage by two men who were interrupted by a concerned citizen before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
She was taken to the hospital and treated for a head wound requiring roughly 40 stitches.
YRP has since confirmed they seized a tracking device, which her family said was found on her car after the assault.
Hajtamiri then went into hiding with family in Wasaga Beach before police say three suspects posing as officers dragged the five-foot-three woman barefoot through the snow to a waiting Lexus sport utility vehicle on January 12, 2022.
She hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Full Story: https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/one-of-7-men-charged-in-elnaz-hajtamiri-case-to-be-released-from-custody-1.6328269