York Regional Police officers say they’ve arrested a man who allegedly committed a string of sexual assaults in the same area of Markham over the course of a week.
Abdul Basit Raufi, 22, of Markham, was arrested on Thursday and charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of disguise with intent.
“All incidents involved the same suspect riding a bicycle and occurred in the evenings in the area of Edward Jeffreys Avenue, between Markham Road and Roy Rainey Avenue,” a police release stated.
The first reported incident took place on Monday, August 10, at around 6:40 p.m. when a suspect on a bicycle approached a female as she walked near Edward Jeffreys Avenue and Mingay Avenue.
“As the suspect passed the victim on the sidewalk, he touched her for a sexual purpose and then fled the area,” police said.
Similar incidents were reported on Aug. 14 and Aug. 17.
Investigators have released the suspect’s photograph, “as they believe there may be additional victims.”
“The suspect also has ties to Brampton,” police add, and “is believed to have taken steps to alter his appearance and may have looked different at the time of the offences.”
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