Four members of a Sikh family were kidnapped and brutally killed in Merced, California. The family was kidnapped at gunpoint from their business office in Merced.
Four members of the family Jasleen Kaur, 27, her husband Jasdeep Singh, 36, their eight-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri, and Singh's brother Amandeep, 39 were found dead in an orchard following 48 hrs of their kidnaping on Wednesday afternoon. While the underlying cause of this heinous crime is yet to be discovered, it is believed to be financial.
Jesus Manuel Salgado - a 48-year-old criminal who had spent 11 years in prison for armed robbery of another trucking family in 2005 and was tracked down while he attempted to use one of the victim's ATM cards. He is suspected as the culprit and now undergoing treatment in hospital as he tried to commit suicide in order to escape the cops.
Undersheriff Corey Gibson had released surveillance footage few hours before the dead bodies of the deceased were found and in formed whatever was discovered. At first Jasdeep and his brother Amandeep arrived at work around 8:30 am. Then Jasdeep Singh was spotted casually interacting with the accused Salgado, at 9am on Monday after which they walked towards the entrance.
Gibson continued “The suspect carried a white trash bag, which he put down, and you’ll see right there he pulled out a firearm”. After staying inside for few minutes Jasdeep and Amandeep were located while they were being led from the back door at gunpoint with their hands zip-tied behind their backs. The kidnapper pushed the brothers into the rear seat of the former’s pickup truck and drove away. Gibson added that the accused returned after six minutes and brought out Jasdeep’s wife Jasleen and daughter Aroohi.
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said “There are no words to describe the anger I feel, and the senselessness of this incident. There’s a special place in hell for this guy (the alleged perpetrator).” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann requested external affairs minister of India S.Jaishankar to persuade the US government to conduct a detailed investigation. The Indian government must raise the issue of the security of Punjabis living in the US with the government there.