Man extorted sister in $7M phone theft from Bell, police say

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Ottawa police say they've arrested and charged a 45-year-old man following an investigation into the alleged theft of thousands of mobile phones worth $7 million.

Sister of accused who worked at telecom company has since died

CBC News

· Posted: Oct 22, 2026 11:40 AM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

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Ottawa police say they've arrested and charged a 45-year-old man following an investigation into the alleged theft of thousands of mobile phones worth $7 million.

On Thursday, police said the man threatened, harassed and extorted his sister, who was a Bell Canada employee. She has since died, police said.

The man's sister obtained the phones from the company "through fraudulent means" and the man then sold them, according to police.

Police allege the thefts took place between June 2022 and September 2025, and that the losses in this case exceed $7 million.

Police said Bell initiated the complaint that led to the investigation.

The man has been charged with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000, uttering threats of death or bodily harm, extortion and other charges.

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