New Delhi: Seven months after a Sikh Indian origin man was abducted from a gurdwara and murdered in California, United States, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office has identified three suspects.
The three men from Vallejo area in California, with alleged ties to Mexico, remain at large. The motive was linked to a stolen cargo trailer, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The case was that of mistaken identity as the victim, Avtar Singh, was “not the intended target”. Following a probe, a Canada resident was identified as the target, who had allegedly stolen the cargo trailer.
Singh, who was aged over 50, is survived by his wife and triplet babies. He was a sevadar at the gurdwara he was abducted from.
On 17 February this year, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, at approximately 8.52 pm, patrol deputies responded to a missing person report for Avtar Singh at the 16000 block of W. Grant Line Road in Tracy. Days later, on 23 February, the police confirmed that Singh had been located deceased.
During the investigation, surveillance footage showed “a white SUV and three unidentified individuals dressed in dark clothing with the victim at approximately 2.30 pm”. “The victim appeared to enter the vehicle against his will,” the Sheriff’s Office said. On 20 February at approximately 3.20 pm, near Lake Berryessa, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office located a body matching Singh’s description.
Back then, the Sheriff’s Office had said based on the information at the time that it appeared to be an isolated incident, and there was “no known ongoing threat to the community”.
Following an extensive investigation, three individuals have been indicted in connection with the kidnapping and murder. They have been identified as Alberto Alonso Alencastro (25), Alfonso Cresencio Segura Arellano (20), and Barnabe Antonio Segura Arellano (22).
The Sheriff’s Office said that between 25 and 27 February, detectives travelled to Canada to interview the individual, who was identified as the intended target of the accused. It added that flock cameras were able to track the licence plate, leading investigators to a white crossover-style vehicle in Vallejo.
“Investigators also determined that the kidnapping and the threats that the individual received were connected to a stolen (cargo) trailer,” the Sheriff’s Office said, adding that the intended target stole the trailer, which was enough for the suspects to want to chase him down and kill him.
The Sheriff’s Office said in a press conference Wednesday that the defendants face life term without possibility of parole.
Also Read: Million dollar bounty: How fugitive gangster Goldy Brar got into FBI’s top 10 most wanted list