SAN FRANCISCO: A man arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of four members of an Indian-origin Sikh family, including a child, worked for his trucking business and had a long-standing feud with them, which was “very bad” and because of which he was put to death. His senseless murder, officials and a relative said.
The bodies of 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur, their eight-month-old daughter Aarohi Dheri and the child’s uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, were found in a rural garden on Wednesday evening. He was kidnapped at gunpoint on Monday in the US state of California.
Officials said he was abducted from the family’s trucking business in the central California city of Merced, and parts of the kidnapping were captured on surveillance video.
Merced County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Alexandra Britton said 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado was formally arrested late Thursday on four counts of murder and four counts of kidnapping.
A convicted criminal, Salgado, tried to kill himself before being taken into custody on Tuesday, police said.
NBC Bay Area quoted a relative of the deceased family as saying, “The primary suspect in the kidnapping and murder is Salgado, a former employee who used to drive for the victim’s trucking company. They had a disagreement and parted ways. ” television station.
The relative also said that baby Aarohi Dheri was left for dead and died of exposure.
Warneke also said he believes another person may have been involved in the kidnappings and murders, but investigators are still gathering evidence.
“If that person is watching, they can change themselves too,” Warneke said.
“Our spies are like bulldogs. They’re not going to give up. Once we find or determine that there really was a second person, they’re going to go after him and work hard.”
The KTVU television station quoted Warneke as saying that the long-running dispute between Salgado and the victims had “been very bad.”
Warneke said relatives of the family told investigators that Salgado had sent angry messages or emails about a year ago after working in the trucking business.
The family members said that nothing was stolen from the trucking company, but all their relatives were wearing ornaments. Warneke said that after the kidnapping, the ATM card of one of the victims was used at Atwater.
Public records show that the family, originally from Harsi Pind in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, was owned by Unison Trucking Inc. The family members said that they had recently opened an office for it in a parking lot which was also operated by the Singh brothers.
The child’s uncle Amandeep is survived by his wife and two children in his teens.
Meanwhile, the city of Merced has organized a candlelight vigil for the family every night from October 6 to October 9 at 7 pm.
Warneke did not specify how the family was killed, saying they appeared to have been killed on Monday before they were reported missing.
Salgado, who is already a convicted robber, had previously been convicted of first-degree robbery with the use of a firearm in Merced County, as well as attempted false imprisonment and the attempt to detain or deter the victim or witness. was attempted.
He was sentenced to 11 years in state prison in that case, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
He was released from prison in 2015 and was released from parole three years later. The corrections agency said he is also charged with possessing a controlled substance.