Toronto, Ontario — The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) charged three of their own veteran officers and suspended four others over allegations of corruption related to the province’s tow truck industry. They have also charged Sutheshkumar Sithambarpillay, owner of Steve’s Towing.
All three are charged with secret commissions and breach of trust, while Bridle faces an additional charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration.
The force alleges the accused officers provided preferential treatment to towing companies within the Greater Toronto Area. The charges and suspensions stemmed from an investigation first launched in October 2019.
OPP also announced they charged 52-year-old Sithambarpillay with aiding and abetting breach of trust and secret commissions contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. Sithambarpillay, who goes by the name Steve Pillai, is the owner of Steve’s Towing, which is located near Highway 400 north of Sheppard Avenue in North York. He had previously appeared on Discovery Canada’s Heavy Rescue 401.
The officers facing charges all have at least 20 years of service with the OPP and served with either its Highway Safety Division or the Toronto detachment; Const. Simon Bridle and Const. Mohammed Ali Hussain were both arrested this past week, while a warrant is out for the arrest of Const. Bindo Showan. All three are charged with secret commissions and breach of trust, while Bridle faces an additional charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration.
OPP says the four other officers remain under investigation, but are not currently facing any criminal charges.
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