Authorities are searching for three Vallejo men charged in the kidnapping and killing of a well-loved volunteer at a Sikh temple in Tracy. Investigators say he was the wrong man.
What happened
Avtar Singh, 57, was abducted at about 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 from the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash complex in the 16000 block of West Grant Line Road, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office. Three days later, searchers found his body in a remote area near Lake Berryessa in Napa County, about 100 miles away. Singh was a father of triplets.
Sheriff's Capt. Joe Petrino said the kidnappers were hunting a man who had allegedly stolen a cargo trailer. That man was in Canada at the time. Detectives later traveled there to interview him, KTVU reported.
“This man was taken from a place of worship in broad daylight because of a theft that had nothing to do with him,” Sheriff Patrick Withrow said.
The suspects
The sheriff's office named the suspects as Alberto Alencastro, 25; Alfonso Segura, 20; and Barnabe Segura, 22, all of Vallejo. A San Joaquin County grand jury indicted them on charges of murder with special circumstances and kidnapping. If convicted, each faces life in prison without parole, District Attorney Ron Freitas said.
Investigators said Flock license plate cameras captured a white crossover registered in Vallejo that was used in the crime. Deputies found the vehicle two days after Singh's death. The three men remain at large, have ties to Mexico and should be considered armed and dangerous, according to CBS Sacramento and SFist.
Reward
The Sikh community is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrests. Singh served for years as a sevadaar, or volunteer, and as the temple's cook. Friends remembered his “humility, quiet dedication, and loving nature that made everyone feel like family.” Tips go to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.