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Now, in the wake of his death, Farooqi’s children鈥檚 hopes of fulfilling that dream have dwindled. Instead, says his brother Naeem, their family has been made to endure 鈥渢he Canadian nightmare.鈥�

Just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, Farooqi, described by his loved ones as a loving father,聽devout Muslim, dedicated businessman and community servant, was home with his family when three masked suspects forced their way into their Kleinburg聽residence.

According to the family, at least one of Farooqi鈥檚 daughters was held at gunpoint before the assailants shot and killed their 46-year-old father in front of them.

Investigators say the suspects fled through the back door with the family members’ cellphones, two of which were discarded nearby and later seized by police. The suspects remain at large.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Insp. Paolo Fiore said investigators believe the home was “specifically targeted for a robbery,” Fiore said, and the suspects’ motive was “monetary gain only.”

At a memorial held at the Baitul Islam Mosque in the Vaughan neighbourhood of Maple on Wednesday night, hundreds of mourners gathered to pay respects to Farooqi and his family.

Family, friends and community members consoled one another as they filed through the mosque gymnasium towards Farooqi鈥檚 casket to say their goodbyes. In the back of the gym, children, too young to grasp the loss at hand, played with their peers. After an hour of visitation, the service came to a close with a traditional evening prayer, followed by another funeral prayer.

Nearing the end of the night, attendees and community members regrouped outside the mosque for a final opportunity to view Farooqi’s casket and share their condolences with his grieving family.

“Aleem was so beloved,” a cousin of Farooqi’s told the Star. “The amount of people here, you see, it’s a testament to his character.”

Speaking at a press conference at Vaughan City Hall earlier in the day, Naeem described the father of four as an honest, God-fearing man who “absolutely loved his community” and died the way he lived: as “a hero, snatched away in a moment that forever changed (their) lives.”

“He woke up and he did what any father would do: try to protect his family. I don’t know what he could have done differently,” Naeem continued. “Our family just wanted to preserve our brother’s legacy and make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

“This isn鈥檛 the Canada we鈥檝e come to know.鈥�

The news of Farooqi’s death has been “heartbreaking” for residents of Vaughan, leaving many shaken, Mayor Steven Del Duca told reporters.

Despite local investments in policing, including a more than seven per cent budget increase for York Regional Police in 2025, the mayor said the criminal justice system continues to fail its citizens.

While simultaneously denouncing what he described as partisan 鈥渇inger pointing,鈥� Del Duca called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government to take more action against violent crime to prevent further incidents of violent crime.

“If fixing the criminal justice system once and for all (...) is not on their agenda, well then they’ve badly lost the plot,” he said.

Asked what changes he would like to see enacted, Del Duca did not offer specifics, but pointed to offered to the federal government by the province back in 2024, including the restoration of mandatory minimum sentencing for serious offences and the removal of bail availability for offenders charged with certain violent crimes.

“I am personally not an expert in this area,” the mayor continued. “But when a loved one has a home broken into, (...) all the stats go out the window. All the progress you think you’ve made goes out the window because it becomes a very real and a very visceral conversation with a victim and they are scared.”

Reporters pushed Del Duca on the point, asking what prompted his calls for bail reforms when the suspects’ identities and criminal history remains unclear.

“We don’t know who these three are, but based on everything I’ve seen, there is a decent chance (...) that these are people who have a track record in criminal activity,” he responded, adding that, in the event those responsible are apprehended, he would “not at all be surprised to learn that there is some kind of bail circumstance” at play.

Del Duca’s comments came shortly after police addressed a spate of violent incidents in York region, including two other home invasions, one of which was carried out less than two hours after the Farooqi’s home was broken into and just a few kilometres east, at a residence near聽

Doorbell camera footage of that incident shows three suspects, one armed with what looks to be a handgun, approaching the front door. One, wearing gloves, appears to attempt to remove the doorbell camera before another is seen using a firearm to break a glass window beside the front door.聽

The occurred the following day, on Sept. 1. According to police, officers in Markham were called to the area of McCowan Road and 14th Avenue around 9 a.m. for reports of multiple suspects breaking into a residence. Once inside, the suspects indicated to the family that one of their family members had been kidnapped by other suspects. During the incident, the suspects shot a man in his 50s before attempting to flee.

It was later learned that one of the residents of the home, a 29-year-old woman, had been pulled into a vehicle and kidnapped an hour before the home invasion. Both the woman and her vehicle were eventually located in 色色啦. She sustained minor injuries, police said.

While four suspects were arrested at the scene of the home invasion, investigators say they believe multiple suspects, associated with both the kidnapping and home invasion, remain outstanding.

Del Duca isn’t alone in calling for further investments in law enforcement and amendments to the criminal code.

On Tuesday, MPP for King-Vaughan and Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, launched a petition calling on the Carney government to 鈥渋mmediately reinstate mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes” in light of Farooqi’s death.

鈥淓nough is enough,” Lecce wrote in a statement included with the petition. “The message should be clear to any offender: if you commit a violent crime, you will face serious jail time.”

The Star has reached out to Canada’s Ministry of Justice for a response to calls for reform but has not received a response.

With files from Calvi Leon聽