8 arrested in California gang-related kidnapping, torture investigation
By Tim Fang
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CALIFORNIA (KOVR) — Authorities in California’s Central Valley said they arrested eight people in connection with an alleged gang-related kidnapping and torture case.
On Friday, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office announced that they executed five coordinated search warrants across the county south of Sacramento and east of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The office’s Agriculture, Gang, and Narcotics Enforcement Team (AGNET) unit conducted the operation along with SWAT teams from the FBI, Stockton and Manteca police departments and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they arrested Pavittar Singh, who was identified in a sheriff’s office video as the primary suspect in the case, along with Dilpreet Singh, Arshpreet Singh, Amritpal Singh, Gurtah Singh, Manpreet Randhawa and Sarabjit Singh. An eighth person only identified as “Vishal” was also arrested.
Along with the arrests, deputies said they seized five handguns, including a fully-automatic Glock, one assault rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, high-capacity magazines and more than $15,000 in cash.
Deputies did not provide additional information about the alleged kidnapping and torture.
The sheriff’s office said the operation was part of the FBI’s “Summer Heat initiative”, which they described as a “nationwide effort targeting violent offenders and gang members who terrorize our communities.”
All suspects were booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on suspicion of multiple felony charges, including kidnapping, torture, false imprisonment, conspiracy, preventing/dissuading a witness, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, threats to terrorize and a felony gang enhancement.
The suspects also face various weapons-related violations including possession of a machine gun, illegal possession of an assault weapon, manufacture / sale of high-capacity magazines, manufacturing a short-barreled rifle and carrying a loaded, unregistered handgun.
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