Toronto police unveiled an updated list of Canada’s top 25 fugitives, with the city’s police chief announcing that a combined $1 million in rewards is being offered to track these suspects down.
Members of Toronto police, Crime Stoppers, and the BOLO Program spoke at a press conference Tuesday morning at police headquarters.
Investigators mentioned some suspects added to the top 25 list, including Michael Bebee, who was named Canada’s most wanted fugitive on Tuesday for his alleged role in the murder of Toronto man Shamar Powell-Flowers nine months ago.
In November 2023, police announced that Bebee was wanted Canada-wide for second-degree murder. Powell-Flowers was found at the scene with gunshot wounds and was rushed to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
“Shamar was a remarkable light. He was a brave, loyal, ambitious, highly intelligent, and hardworking construction engineer, a generous and kind man with a smile that lit up the universe,” his family said in a statement on Tuesday.
“For nine months, we have been crippled not only by grief but by the realization that there are people out there who could help us but who instead have chosen to remain silent. If you know something, if you see something, if you hear something, or even suspect something, please pick up the phone and call in the tip. Show us the good in this world that Shamar always saw, but we struggle to see now.”
Fifth on the top 25 list is Cristian Cuxum, wanted for the murder of Edwin Alvarado, a local soccer referee, in Toronto in October 2022. The reward for a tip leading to the arrest of Cuxum is also $100,000.
Top BOLO suspects
Other Toronto suspects on the updated Top 25 list revealed Tuesday include:
- Kamar Cunningham, who, while released on bail and after being convicted of several firearms trafficking charges, did not appear for his sentencing hearing in 2020 (reward up to $50,000)
- Mohamed Abdullahi is wanted for the July 2023 murder of Mohamed Ahmed
- Kiarash Parzham is wanted for the 2022 murder of Kian Hoseyni
- Jabreel Elmi is wanted for the 2021 murder of Thane Murray
Rabih Alkhalil remains on Canada’s most wanted list. In October 2022, Toronto police announced a hefty financial reward for information they hoped would lead to Alkhalil’s arrest. He’s wanted for escaping from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in July 2021.
At the time, Alkhalil was standing trial for a 2012 murder at a downtown Vancouver restaurant and was since convicted of first-degree murder. Alkhalil was already serving sentences for directing the 2012 murder of Johnnie Raposo in a Little Italy café in Toronto.
Man wanted in Brampton woman’s murder
Peel Regional Police, one of the BOLO program partners, is appealing to the public for information on the whereabouts of Dharam Singh Dhaliwal, who appears on the top 25 most wanted list.
Pawanpreet Kaur, 21, of Brampton was fatally shot at a Mississauga gas station on December 3, 2022. A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Dhaliwal, who has been charged with first-degree murder. Charges have already been laid against two individuals in this case for being accessories after the fact to murder.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the names and faces featured in the campaign represent crimes that society is grappling with in more ways than one.
“We work with communities in an effort to prevent these crimes,” Demkiw said. “We just need the tips that lead us to these suspects. If you see one of these individuals, if you even think you might know where they are, call Crime Stoppers. Call 911.”
The Bolo Program is an initiative leveraging social media, technology, and innovative engagement to encourage citizens to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted.
Since 2018, the non-profit Bolo Program has built its most wanted list from the voluntarily submitted lists of police departments across Canada. It employs a six-police investigator committee to determine suspect rankings and uses social media to help spread the word about wanted individuals.