Alberto Alonso Alencastro, one of three Vallejo men indicted in the February kidnapping and killing of 57-year-old Avtar Singh, was arrested in Mexico and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on Saturday, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Abduction From Tracy Temple Grounds
Avtar Singh was abducted around 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 from the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash complex in the 16000 block of West Grant Line Road in Tracy.
Surveillance footage showed three people dressed in dark clothing forcing Singh into a white crossover-style SUV.
Three days later, searchers with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office discovered Singh’s body roughly 100 miles away in a remote area near Lake Berryessa. Singh lived on the temple grounds with his wife and their newborn triplets.
Community members and temple representatives remembered Singh for his humility, quiet dedication, and loving nature that made everyone feel like family. Rasleen Kaur, a member of the temple, noted that his seva, sincerity, and unwavering faith touched countless lives, leaving a profound void in the community. San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters that Singh was such a good person who cooked for everybody at the temple and took care of anything that was broken.
A native of India, Singh had served his temple for more than 20 years as a cook and handyman, living a humble existence volunteering in exchange for room and board. Nearly 3,000 people attended his funeral in Stockton, and supporters raised more than $500,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help his wife and children.
Target Mistaken Over Stolen Cargo Trailer
Investigators determined that Singh was never the intended target of the abduction. San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Capt. Joe Petrino stated that the suspects were hunting a man who had allegedly stolen a cargo trailer.
Detectives later traveled to Canada and located the actual intended target, who confirmed he had been receiving threats over the stolen trailer. Detectives linked the suspects to the crime using Flock automated license plate readers, which captured the plate of the white crossover vehicle registered out of Vallejo.
Grand Jury Indicts Three Vallejo Men
A San Joaquin County grand jury indicted Alberto Alencastro, 25, along with Alfonso Cresencio Segura Arellano, 20, and Barnabe Antonio Segura Arellano, 22, on charges of murder with special circumstances and kidnapping.
Alberto Alencastro was apprehended in Mexico. This arrest was made with coordination from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Mexican federal law enforcement authorities.
Alfonso Segura Arellano and Barnabe Segura Arellano remain at large with ties to Mexico. San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas noted that if convicted, each suspect faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Sikh community offered a reward. The amount offered was $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Anyone with details is asked to contact the sheriff’s office non-emergency line at 209-468-4400.