One of three suspects in the kidnapping and murder of a man from Tracy has been arrested, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
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Avtar Singh’s body was found near Lake Berryessa on Feb. 20, three days after he was kidnapped from a Sikh temple in Tracy. Surveillance footage showed he had been kidnapped by three people who traveled in a white crossover-style SUV.
On Saturday, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s office announced the arrest of Alberto Alonso Alencastro. Alencastro was apprehended in Mexico and later booked into the San Joaquin County Jail, the sheriff’s office said.
The other two suspects, Alfonso Cresencio Segura Arellano and Barnabe Antonio Segura Arellano, are still on the loose.
Singh had lived on the temple grounds at the Tracy Gurdwara with his wife and children, including a set of triplets who were born shortly before the kidnapping.
Investigators said they believed Singh was a victim of mistaken identity. The actual target was believed to be a person in Canada at the time.
Investigators then traveled to Canada from Feb. 25-27 and determined that person and his family had been receiving threats related to a stolen trailer of cargo, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office says the intended target stole a trailer, and it was enough for the suspects to want to chase him down and kill him.
Anyone with information relevant to the investigation is being asked to call
209-468-4400.