57-year-old Sikh man kidnapped from California gurdwara found dead in US

A 57-year-old Sikh man who was allegedly kidnapped from a gurdwara complex in California has been found dead, according to a report by TOI.

Avtar Singh was abducted on Tuesday afternoon (US time) from a gurdwara complex in the Tracy area of California. The information about the recovery of his body was shared on Facebook by Baba Harnam Singh Dhuma, chief of Damdami Taksal.

“His body was found today,” Dhuma said in a post on Saturday evening.


Avtar Singh had served for several years as a cook at Guru Nanak Parkash gurdwara, which is controlled by the Taksal. He had earlier worked for a long time at the Taksal headquarters at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash in Chowk Mehta and was later serving at the organisation’s branch in Tracy. He resided within the gurdwara complex.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said it had launched an investigation into the case. In a statement shared online, the Sheriff’s Office said surveillance footage showed a white SUV and three unidentified individuals dressed in dark clothing with the victim at around 2:30 pm.

“The victim appears to have entered the vehicle against his will,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

With inputs from TOI