Durham Police yesterday said a traffic stop on Tuesday led to a firearm being taken off the streets.
On September 22 at about 11:30 pm, members of Central West Division were on patrol when they stopped the driver of a four-door Acura suspected of being impaired in the area of Winchester Road and Watford Street in Whitby. The traffic stop revealed open bottles of alcohol in the vehicle and a search of the vehicle resulted in a handgun being found inside. The driver and two occupants were arrested and charged and the driver passed a roadside breath test.
Pratheep Paramananthan, age 29 of Blackwell Avenue in Toronto, and Sajeeth Selvanathan, age 27, of Boulderbrook Drive in Toronto are charged with: Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm in a Car; Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm Knowing it is Unauthorized; Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Firearm and Careless Storage of a Firearm.
Gajan Appadurai, age 39 of Rosedrop Path in Oshawa, who was the driver, is charged with: Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm in a Car; Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm Knowing it is Unauthorized; Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Firearm; Careless Storage of a Firearm; Fail to Comply with Recognizance and Drive Motor Vehicle with Liquor Readily Available.
They were held for bail hearings.
Anyone with new information about this investigation is asked to contact the DRPS Gun and Gang Enforcement Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5869.
