Suspects in the killing of California tech executive caught on video carrying a duffel bag and a rifle

Three suspects were seen walking near the home of a California tech executive with a rifle and a duffel bag minutes before police believe he was kidnapped and later killed, newly released surveillance video shows.

The suspects are seen walking out of an alley onto the street where Tushar Atre lived, according to the video posted Wednesday by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Atre was the founder and CEO of AtreNet, a web marketing and design company, CNN affiliate KPIX reported. He was reportedly kidnapped last month and his body was found later that day in his car.

“We are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects seen in the video,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook Wednesday. “The reward has been increased to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the crimes.”

Atre, 50, was last seen getting into his 2008 BMW SUV, the sheriff’s office said.

A friend of Atre’s said he was taken around 3 a.m. on October 1 after someone broke into his house, according to KPIX.

“(W)e have no idea why, we have no idea who,” the friend, Christopher Lochhead, wrote on Facebook, the station reported.

“We need everybody all of our friends the entire community to get behind this effort and support our sheriffs department and the FBI and law enforcement in finding Tushar,” Lochhead said in the post, which has since been removed.

Hours later, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies said on Facebook the BMW was found with a body in it. They later identified the body as Atre, the founder and CEO of AtreNet, a web marketing and design company, according to KPIX.

Contacted by CNN, Lochhead said friends and family of the kidnapped man have no comment and referred questions to the sheriff’s office.