The former boyfriend of a woman abducted six months ago by kidnappers pretending to be cops has been seized by police in Canada.

Iranian-born Elnaz Hajtamiri, 37, has not been seen since she was dragged barefoot from her home in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, in January.

Now her former boyfriend Mohamad Lilo has been charged with kidnapping and attempted murder by local prosecutors following his arrest on 12th July.

Local reports in April said Lilo hired a private investigator to track Hajtamiri shortly before she went missing.

According to local media, Lilo, who also uses the last name Tamiri, also faces further kidnapping charges.

He’s charged with the attempted kidnapping and attempted murder of his ex from a previous incident on 21st December 2021.

He allegedly battered Hajtamiri with a frying pan in a car park before attempting to abduct her with two accomplices.

At the time, he was charged with criminal harassment and released on bail.

He is due to appear in court today (13th July) where he is expected to plead not guilty to the charges related to the victim’s disappearance, according to Lilo’s lawyer Philippe Grenier.

Hajtamiri’s family said they are hopeful the latest developments will shed light on the case.

The family said in a statement: “These past six months have been gruelling and painful since her disappearance, as we’ve continued to search endlessly for her. We’ve been met with nothing but silence from the abductors, and not a trace has been found from our beautiful girl.”

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) spokesperson Bill Dickson called Lino’s arrest “a major step” but admitted “this is not over.”

He added: “The bottom line is we need to find Elnaz Hajtamiri, we need to find out what has happened to her.

“We owe that to her family, owe that to her community.”

The development comes three months after two other men were named in connection with the alleged assault in Richmond Hill in December.

Riyasat Singh, 23, was arrested and a Canada-wide arrest warrant is out for Harshdeep Binner, 23.