A Calgary mother has been reunited with her son after police arrested the boy’s father in Mauritius, more than two years after he’s accused of abducting the then-five-year-old.
On Tuesday, Calgary police announced a charge of parental child abduction against the 62-year-old father.
He was arrested in December and extradited to Calgary last week.
Calgary police allege the abduction was “extensively planned.”
On Dec. 3, 2023, police say the suspect travelled from Calgary to Montreal and then onto Turkey. He then “immediately cut off all contact with his son’s mother,” according to a Calgary Police Service release.
He bought property overseas, acquired new passports, relied on forged documents, and moved several times over the past two years, according to police.
The search spanned several countries including Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan and Vanuatu.
Police worked for two years to try to locate the father and son, joining forces with RCMP, Global Affairs Canada and Interpol. Calgary police said Interpol’s international alerts for the suspect and the child ultimately led to the father’s arrest.
On Dec. 16, 2025, the suspect was spotted with his son at the Mauritius airport, where he was detained by local police, who then flagged the Calgary Police Service.
Four days later, the boy’s mother arrived in Mauritius to be reunited with her son, who she’d not seen or spoken to in more than two years. The pair returned to Calgary the next day.
The father followed, escorted by police, more than a month later.
He is currently in custody and due in court Wednesday.
