Calgary police charge man, search for 3 outstanding suspects in $275k Beltline restaurant arson
Posted Mar 27, 2026 11:28 am.
Last Updated Mar 27, 2026 4:48 pm.
Calgary police have charged a man and are searching for his three alleged accomplices in connection to a case of arson at a restaurant in the Beltline last month.
Investigators say four people broke into the Nile Cafe & Lounge on 17 Avenue SW just after 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 12.
Once inside, they deliberately set a fire and cause $275,000 in damages.
Surveillance footage from a nearby property capture a white pickup truck leaving the scene shortly before the fire was called in around 4:10 a.m., police say.
The vehicle was later identified by investigators as a white 2019 Ram Warlock quad cab truck with Alberta licence plate CXT 6035.
On March 7, a District 4 police officer stopped that truck for running a red light.
The vehicle was seized, and a week later, it was searched using a warrant. Officers located a handgun and other items connected to the investigation.
The investigation eventually led police to believe four people were involved in the crime.
Unrelated investigation leads to arrest
As part of a separate, unrelated investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home on Templehill Crescent NE on March 24.
Two men were arrested, and one was later confirmed to be involved in the arson.
Now 34-year-old Sohrab Rob Rashed has been charged with one count of arson causing property damage. Rashed has also been charged in connection to a shooting in the parking lot of a northeast Calgary community centre earlier this month.
He is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Police are continuing to identify and search for the three other suspects.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or tip anonymously through CrimeStoppers.
