Eight Indian Americans have been arrested in San Joaquin County in California as part of the FBI’s Summer Heat initiative, a nationwide effort to dismantle violent gangs, according to media reports.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with multiple agencies, including SWAT teams from Stockton, Manteca, and Stanislaus County, along with the FBI, to execute five search warrants, local media outlet KCRA reported.
“My office became aware of information indicating that a horrendous crime that occurred days prior on June 19 in the Manteca area of San Joaquin County,” San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow was quoted as saying. “Contact was ultimately made with the victim of that crime, who informed us he had been kidnapped, stripped naked and bound and tortured for an extended period of time.”
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The operation on July 11 led to the arrest of the eight individuals across San Joaquin County, all booked on a range of felony charges, including kidnapping, torture, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and other firearms-related charges.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said, “Based upon these charges, they are facing life in prison.”
The suspects were identified as Pavittar Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Arshpreet Singh, Amritpal Singh, Gurtaj Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Manpreet Randhawa and a man identified only as Vishal, who did not provide a last name.
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Sid Patel, an FBI special agent, highlighted the international aspect of the case. “Pavittar Preet Singh is wanted in India for charges including firearms violations, assault and multiple murders abroad, including a homicide in Batala, which is one of the states in India in the state of Punjab,” Patel said.
Patel explained the consequences for suspects with international charges.”You’re prosecuted here, you serve your time here, and then you’re extradited to the foreign country and you do your time there,” he explained.
Federal immigration authorities have been notified, and the suspects could face deportation. The sheriff’s office continues to search for several other individuals believed to be connected to the dangerous gang activities, KCRA said.