One of five charged in Orillia alleged hostage-torture case given bail
One of five men charged in an alleged hostage-torture case in central Ontario has been released on bail.
One of five men charged in an alleged hostage-torture case in central Ontario has been released on bail.
Baltej Sandhu, 30, of Brampton, is among five individuals charged after a September incident in which a Mississauga man was found beaten and bound in an abandoned building late last month.
Police responded to reports of suspicious activity near an abandoned structure on Colborne Street East in Orillia just after 9 p.m. on Sept. 27.
Orillia is a small city in central Ontario, about 130 kilometres north of Toronto, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. It serves as a regional hub for Simcoe County and surrounding cottage country.
When officers arrived, they found a U-Haul van parked in front of the address.
Upon entering the building, they located an adult man who was conscious but bound and suffering from serious injuries.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. He was found alongside five suspects, according to local media.
Five suspects were taken into custody and charged: Surjit Singh Bains, 62, of Woodbridge; Gergy Anthony Gorbun, 51, of Toronto; Manraj Mann, 31, of Brampton; Dwayne Pennant, 41, of Brampton; and Baltej Sandhu, 30, of Brampton.
Each faces charges of break and enter, kidnapping and forcible confinement, with additional counts of attempted murder and weapons offences laid in the ongoing investigation.
Four of the men remain in custody, either denied bail or awaiting a hearing.
Sandhu was released on a $250,000 surety pledge and on what mainstream media called “strict conditions” — house arrest, a GPS ankle monitor and “supervision by loved ones.”
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