A 37-year-old realtor from Brampton, Ont., has pled guilty in a 2023 child abduction case in the Town of Thessalon. Manoj Govindbalunikam entered his guilty plea Wednesday afternoon on the charge of abduction of a person under 14 by taking or enticing. Represented in person at Sault Ste. Marie Superior Court by attorney Jessica Belisle, he attended virtually from southern Ontario. The case stems from an Aug. 15, 2023, incident, where he lured a nine-year-old boy into his vehicle. During the hearing, Crown attorney Adrianna Mucciarelli read out the agreed statement of facts outlining the details of what took place the day of the incident. A publication ban prevents the reporting of any details that may identify the minor, including names of witnesses. The court heard Govindbalunikam first encountered the boy at the mouth of the Thessalon River, where the man had been taking pictures. A short while later, the man approached the boy who had been fishing, offering him a fidget spinner toy and his real estate business card, claiming he was in the area looking at properties. A pair of kayakers saw the interaction and phoned police, making note of the yellow Chevrolet Camaro with racing stripes. When the child left alone on his bicycle, Govindbalunikam followed him with his car, asking if the boy wanted a ride home and to stop for ice cream. He told the boy to leave his bike and fishing equipment nearby at the local curling club, saying it wouldn’t fit in his car. The youth accepted the offer, and the pair then stopped at the Sinton Tavern for ice cream. The boy then advised Govindbalunikam of the way to his house. When approaching the house, the boy asked him to stop so he could get out, but the man only slowed down, and upon reaching the house, Govindbalunikam drove past. Other locals noticed the interaction at the tavern and felt it suspicious, so when a couple saw the boy get into the stranger’s car, they went to the child’s home and told his father what was happening. The victim’s father spotted and approached Govindbalunikam, who initially tried to drive away. The father reached in to stop him and eventually retrieved his child. Govindbalunikam claimed it was a misunderstanding, to which the father told him to leave town. Ontario Provincial Police used surveillance video and information from witnesses to track the vehicle, arresting him the following day in Sault Ste. Marie. Officers seized the man’s cellphone and found photos of the river, of him and the boy and the child eating ice cream in his car. The next step in the case is for the lawyers to make sentencing submissions for the judge to consider. A pre-sentencing report has been ordered -- which includes the offender’s background, character, history and circumstances -- to help inform the judge’s decision. The matter has been put over until June 4 for assignment court, with hopes of scheduling the sentencing hearing for either September or October.
