Sikh man kidnapped, killed in US; not ‘intended target’, say authorities

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By Yoshita Singh

New York, February 25

A 57-year-old Sikh man in the US was found dead days after he was kidnapped, with authorities saying he was not the “intended target” of the crime.

Avtar Singh was reported missing on February 17 at approximately 8:52 pm in Tracy, California.

During the investigation, surveillance footage showed a white SUV and three unidentified individuals dressed in dark clothing with Singh at approximately 2:30 pm. The victim appeared to enter the vehicle against his will, the authorities said.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday said that Singh was found dead on February 20 at approximately 3:20 pm near Lake Berryessa after the Napa County Sheriff’s Office located a body matching the description of the missing person.

Authorities said detectives are working to investigate the case and identify those responsible for this terrible act.

“Based on the information known at this time, this appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no known ongoing threat to the community,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said.

A report in news portal KCRA.com quoted San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow as saying that Singh was not the intended target in the kidnapping and homicide.

Withrow said the abductors were targeting another individual for a specific reason and “we’re hoping that reason comes to the light”.

He said that while investigators could not release any information related to the abductors or a possible motive, Singh was not their intended target.

Singh worked at a Sikh temple in the area as a volunteer where he also lived on the grounds with his wife and three young triplets, the KCRA report said.

“He was very sincere and hard working,” community member Deep Singh was quoted as saying in the report. “For 23 years, his main role was the head cook at our gurudwara, at the temple, but he was not only a cook, he was a multi-tasking person.”

PTI