Furqan is, without a doubt, one of the friendliest, nicest acting guys I’ve ever met. He’s also gone missing. The Toronto Police Service is requesting the public’s assistance with an abduction investigation.
It is reported that:
On Saturday, August 22, 2009, at 3:28 p.m, the victim was driving his car in the Midwest Road/Midland Avenue area when three men, one of whom was in possession of a gun, forced the victim off the road. Shortly-after, the victim’s vehicle was located by police and the victim remains missing.
The victim has been identified as Furqan Muhammad-Haroon, 22, of Toronto.
He is described as brown, 5’10”, 181 lbs., black eyes, black, short, wavy hair, with a beard with no mustache and wears eye glasses. He was last seen wearing a blue, long-sleeved crew neck shirt and dark, blue jeans.
The victim’s vehicle is described as a green, 2003 Mazda, MPV van with Ontario Licence Plate ASEH 887.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-4100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).
Constable Tony Vella, Public Information, for Detective Karen Hunte, 41 Division
UPDATE:
Toronto Police say they have found 22-year-old Furqan Muhammad-Haroon. The man was reported to have been abducted on saturday. Tonight, police say he has been charged with public mischief. He is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. Muhammad-Haroon was located in St.Catherines.
Police initially said three men, one carrying a gun, had reportedly forced his vehicle off the road and abducted him. However, after reconstructing the events leading up to Muhammad-Haroon’s disappearance, investigators now believe “there is no information to indicate an abduction took place,” Const. Wendy Drummond said this morning.
Muhammad-Haroon was recently fired from his summer job with IBM. On Aug. 13, the University of Toronto student was charged with theft under $5,000.
“Computer-related equipment” was reported stolen from an IBM lab three days earlier, said Const. Marina Orlovski, a spokeswoman with the York Region police service. Muhammad-Haroon was arrested after investigators spoke with the manager and reviewed security footage, she said.
He is scheduled to appear in Newmarket court on Sept. 15.
The charge raises numerous questions for detectives. For one, the day Muhammad-Haroon went missing, he was planning to leave the country to visit family living abroad. But, typically an individual facing criminal charges is not allowed to leave the province.
Update 2:
Furqan was released on $20,000 bail for public mischief charges. He is also facing more charges in relation to theft at Side Effects Software. Coincidentally… some of the equipment stolen from SESI happened to be some of my personal computing equipment that I had brought to work…