{"id":5073,"date":"2026-05-05T06:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T06:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/?p=5073"},"modified":"2026-05-05T06:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T06:14:36","slug":"evidence-multiculturalism-is-nonsense-indian-citizen-tried-to-explain-boys-abduction-as-a-cultural-misunderstanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/?p=5073","title":{"rendered":"Evidence “Multiculturalism” Is Nonsense: Indian cit\u00adizen tried to explain boy\u2019s abduc\u00adtion as a \u2018cul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Indian cit\u00adizen tried to explain boy\u2019s abduc\u00adtion as a \u2018cul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading\u2019<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Con\u00advic\u00adtion could res\u00adult in deport\u00ada\u00adtion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"National<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chris Lam\u00adbie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 May 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Bramp\u00adton, Ont., man who abduc\u00adted a nine-year-old boy has failed to con\u00advince a judge it was a \u201ccul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manoj Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam, an Indian cit\u00adizen who is a per\u00adman\u00adent res\u00adid\u00adent of Canada, was sen\u00adtenced earlier this month in Ontario\u2019s Super\u00adior Court of Justice to 18 months in jail and three years\u2019 pro\u00adba\u00adtion for the August 2023 abduc\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam has been in Canada for more than 12 years demands that he would have been well aware of this coun\u00adtry\u2019s cul\u00adtural norms,\u201d Judge Michael Var\u00adpio wrote in the April 21 sen\u00adten\u00adcing decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny sug\u00adges\u00adtion to the con\u00adtrary \u2014 espe\u00adcially for someone of Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam\u2019s abil\u00adity and exper\u00adi\u00adence \u2014 would con\u00adsti\u00adtute will\u00adful blind\u00adness at the very least. As such, I reject the defence pos\u00adi\u00adtion that this case amounts to a \u2018cul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Crown sought a term of 18 months behind bars. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam\u2019s law\u00adyer argued for a con\u00addi\u00adtional dis\u00adcharge so her cli\u00adent could avoid deport\u00ada\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A con\u00addi\u00adtional dis\u00adcharge would \u201cnot adequately address the need to denounce and deter Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam\u2019s con\u00adduct,\u201d Var\u00adpio said. \u201cSoci\u00adety can\u00adnot allow adults to simply abscond with young chil\u00addren and drive them around for their own pur\u00adposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court heard from an immig\u00adra\u00adtion law\u00adyer that a jail sen\u00adtence of six months or more would render him inad\u00admiss\u00adible to Canada and he could face deport\u00ada\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That con\u00adcern didn\u2019t affect the judge\u2019s ana\u00adlysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSimply put, the crime was of such a mag\u00adnitude that giv\u00ading this factor any mean\u00ading\u00adful weight would only serve to achieve exactly that which the Supreme Court of Canada cau\u00adtioned against: It would cre\u00adate another, lighter sen\u00adten\u00adcing regime for non-cit\u00adizens,\u201d Var\u00adpio said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam, 37, pleaded guilty to abduc\u00adtion last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe import of this phe\u00adnomenon is some\u00adwhat lessened by the fact that Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam con\u00adtin\u00adues to min\u00adim\u00adize the offence as a \u2018cul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading,\u2019\u201d said the judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court heard that on Aug. 15, 2023, Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam drove his yel\u00adlow Chev\u00adro\u00adlet Camaro with black racing stripes from his home in Bramp\u00adton to Thes\u00adsalon, in north\u00adern Ontario, to look for prop\u00ader\u00adties to buy as part of his real estate busi\u00adness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam arrived in Thes\u00adsalon, he went to the mouth of the Thes\u00adsalon River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After tak\u00ading pho\u00adtos of some kayakers, he approached a then-nine-yearold boy who had been fish\u00ading at the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe had a con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtion with the child and offered him a fid\u00adget spin\u00adner toy as well as his busi\u00adness card,\u201d said the decision. \u201cMr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam told the vic\u00adtim that he was a realtor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the boy left the area car\u00adry\u00ading his fish\u00ading gear, Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam \u201cdrove towards the vic\u00adtim\u2019s des\u00adtin\u00ada\u00adtion and stopped him at the curl\u00ading club in Thes\u00adsalon. He offered the vic\u00adtim a ride home. The vic\u00adtim accep\u00adted the ride,\u201d said the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Govind\u00adblalunikam told the vic\u00adtim to leave his bicycle and fish\u00ading gear at the curl\u00ading club because there was no room for them in the vehicle. Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam drove to the Sin\u00adton Tav\u00adern where he pur\u00adchased an ice cream for the vic\u00adtim. The pair exited the tav\u00adern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two people in the tav\u00adern knew the boy and became con\u00adcerned because they did not recog\u00adnize Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam. \u201cThey got into their pickup truck and drove to the vic\u00adtim\u2019s res\u00adid\u00adence. They spoke with the vic\u00adtim\u2019s father who indic\u00adated that he did not know any\u00adone who had a yel\u00adlow Camaro. The vic\u00adtim\u2019s father asked the pair for a ride to the loc\u00ada\u00adtion where they last saw the vic\u00adtim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the same time, the boy gave Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam his address in Thes\u00adsalon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam drove towards that res\u00adid\u00adence and, when they reached the home, the vic\u00adtim told Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam to stop the vehicle. Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam slowed down but did not stop. He con\u00adtin\u00adued past the res\u00adid\u00adence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boy\u2019s father spot\u00adted the Camaro driv\u00ading down Fed\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion Street, said the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple who gave the dad a lift in a pickup pulled up to the Camaro, said the decision. \u201cThe father approached the driver side of the Camaro. He observed the vic\u00adtim in the front pas\u00adsen\u00adger\u2019s seat eat\u00ading ice cream. As the father approached, Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam pulled away. The father reached into the driver\u2019s side of the vehicle in order to get the vehicle to stop. Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam iden\u00adti\u00adfied him\u00adself as a realtor and stated that he was look\u00ading for houses in the area. Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam gave the father his busi\u00adness card. The father told Mr. Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam to leave the com\u00admunity and told his son to exit the Camaro.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When police later con\u00adtac\u00adted Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam, he said he was a realtor, and that the situ\u00adation was \u201ca mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading with the boy\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam was arres\u00adted on Aug. 16, 2023. The Ontario Pro\u00advin\u00adcial Police seized his cell\u00adphone, which con\u00adtained a num\u00adber of pic\u00adtures includ\u00ading a pic\u00adture of him\u00adself and the vic\u00adtim by the Thes\u00adsalon River, as well as a photo of the vic\u00adtim eat\u00ading ice cream in the Camaro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam, who arrived in Canada in 2012 and was gran\u00adted per\u00adman\u00adent res\u00adid\u00adent status in 2017, has a degree in aerospace engin\u00adeer\u00ading from India and a mas\u00adter\u2019s degree in the same sub\u00adject from the Uni\u00adversity of Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam told the author of a pre-sen\u00adtence report that he \u201cworked at one of the largest aerospace com\u00adpan\u00adies in Ontario from 2019 to 2023. Unfor\u00adtu\u00adnately, he was dis\u00admissed then laid off after a peri\u00adodic crim\u00adinal record check con\u00adduc\u00adted by his com\u00adpany.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lost jobs at Remax Realty and Collins Aerospace \u201cas a res\u00adult of these charges,\u201d said the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam apo\u00adlo\u00adgized to the vic\u00adtim and his par\u00adents, say\u00ading that he was try\u00ading to be help\u00adful by offer\u00ading the boy a ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Crown asked the judge to find that Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam was engaged in sexual groom\u00ading beha\u00adviour with the vic\u00adtim when he pur\u00adchased ice cream and gave him a fid\u00adget spin\u00adner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Var\u00adpio agreed with Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam\u2019s law\u00adyer that he did \u201cnot have the evid\u00aden\u00adtial found\u00ada\u00adtion to make such an infer\u00adence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indian cit\u00adizen tried to explain boy\u2019s abduc\u00adtion as a \u2018cul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading\u2019 Con\u00advic\u00adtion could res\u00adult in deport\u00ada\u00adtion Chris Lam\u00adbie 1 May 2026 A Bramp\u00adton, Ont., man who abduc\u00adted a nine-year-old boy has failed to con\u00advince a judge it was a \u201ccul\u00adtural mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading.\u201d Manoj Govind\u00adbal\u00adunikam, an Indian cit\u00adizen who is a per\u00adman\u00adent res\u00adid\u00adent of Canada, was sen\u00adtenced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3560,3559],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5073"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5073"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5075,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5073\/revisions\/5075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}