Indian-origin family abducted at gunpoint; later found dead [ California, U.S.A ]

[ Reported as seen ]

An Indian-origin family was abducted at gunpoint on October 3, 2022, in Merced County in California, United States of America. Later, their dead bodies were found in an orchard in the county. The victims included, an 8-month-old baby, Aroohi Dheri along with her mother Jasleen Kaur (27), her father Jasdeep Singh (36), and her uncle, Amandeep Singh (39).

Jasdeep Singh’s family, originally from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, had immigrated to the United States about 16 years ago and developed a transportation business there.

When the family was kidnapped, the California police released surveillance video showing a man kidnapping them in Merced, in the San Joaquin Valley southeast of San Francisco.

A person named, Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, as “a person of interest” after CCTV footage showed a man resembling him using a bank ATM card belonging to one of the missing persons. The kidnapper made no ransom demands but the sheriff said he believes it was a financially motivated crime.

Back at home in Jalandhar, and Hoshiarpur districts. Jasdeep Singh’s father Randhir Singh’s neighbour, Charanjit Singh, said that Jasdeep’s parents were in shock and were unable to speak.

Randhir Singh and his wife Kirpal Kaur were government servants and had retired from the departments of health and education, respectively.