A family of four of Indian descent, including an 8-month-old baby, has been abducted in California
Hoshiarpur, Punjab:
The news of the kidnapping of a four-member family of Indian descent, including an eight-month-old child, in the US state of California has left their relatives in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, in shock.
A 48-year-old man believed to be a “stakeholder” in the kidnapping of the four-member Sikh family has been taken into custody and is in critical condition, US authorities said. However, the victims are still missing.
The family was abducted Monday from a business in Merced County, California.
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The relatives were identified as eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her 27-year-old mother Jasleen Kaur, her 36-year-old father Jasdeep Singh and her 39-year-old uncle Amandeep Singh.
Jasdeep’s parents, Dr. Randhir Singh and Kirpal Kaur, are residents of Harsi Pind village in the Tanda block of Hoshiarpur.
Charanjit Singh, a neighbor of Randhir Singh, said Jasdeep’s parents were in shock and unable to talk.
Randhir Singh and Kirpal Kaur withdrew from the health and education departments respectively.
According to Charanjit Singh, Randhir Singh returned to India from abroad on September 29. On arrival, he left for a pilgrimage in Uttarakhand. When he reached Rishikesh, he received a call from daughter-in-law Jaspreet Kaur from the US, who told him about the kidnapping of her husband Amandeep Singh and other relatives.
After learning of the incident, Randhir Singh returned to his village on Tuesday evening and is preparing to leave for the US on Tuesday evening, his neighbor said.
The people of Harsi Pind and the neighboring villages rushed to Randhir Singh’s home to support the family and pray for the safe return of the kidnapped persons to their home, Charanjit Singh said.
He further claimed that the Union Minister and Hoshiarpur MP, Som Parkash, had also called Randhir Singh and assured him the full support of the central government.
Tanda Deputy Superintendent of Police Kulwant Singh said he also visited Randhir Singh’s home and assured him full support.
A vehicle owned by one of the family members was found on fire late Monday, prompting US police to determine the four had been kidnapped.
According to a press release, detectives received information Tuesday morning that one of the victim’s bank cards was used at an ATM in Atwater, Merced County.
“Detectives obtained the surveillance photo of a person conducting a bank transaction and the person resembles the surveillance photo from the original kidnapping scene in appearance,” the Merced County Sheriff’s Office statement said.
Before the police were involved, the suspect identified himself as Jesus Manuel Salgado “attempted suicide”, and is currently in “retention, receiving medical attention and in critical condition”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
