Police arrest 17 Sikhs for California gurdwara shootings
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Apr, 2023 01:31 PM
New York, April 18 (IANS) Police have arrested 17 Sikh men from rival criminal syndicates for their alleged involvement in mass shootings across Northern California, including Sikh temples in Stockton and Sacramento, which occurred between 2022 and 2023.
In a joint law enforcement operation, 41 firearms were seized from suspects responsible for numerous violent crimes and shootings, including five attempted murders, in Sutter, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, and Merced counties.
The joint law enforcement effort culminated on Monday in a large-scale operation with agents executing search warrants at 20 locations, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Yuba City Police Chief Brian Baker, and Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupre announced.
Dupre said two syndicates, mostly members of the local Sikh community, were responsible for multiple shootings where 11 people were shot, including five people at a Sikh temple in Stockton in August 2022 and two at a temple in Sacramento on March 23, 2023.
According to ABC News, Karandeep Singh, Pardeep Singh, Pavittar Singh, Husandeep Singh, Sahajpreet Singh, Harkirat Singh, Tirath Ram, Dharamvir Singh, Jobanjit Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Nitish Kaushal, Gurminder Singh Kang, Devender Singh, Karambir Gill, Rajeev Ranjan, Jobanpreet Singh and Singh Dhesi, were arrested for felony.
Police are yet to arrest Amandeep Singh, Harmandeep Singh, Gursharn Singh, Grucharan Singh and Jaskaran Singh, Dupre told ABC News, adding that the feud among groups "was fueled by intense personal connections".
"No family should ever have to worry about drive-by shootings or other forms of gun violence in the neighbourhoods where their children live and play. As a result of this joint law enforcement effort, we're taking guns off the street and putting suspected gang members and their associates behind bars," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press release.
During the investigation, which began in February 2023, the law enforcement was able to prevent two additional shootings from occurring.
The lawsuit has been filed against Colorado-based Global Medical Response (GMR), and companies under it, American Medical Response (AMR) and its subsidiaries, for turning away a qualified paramedic in midst of a global pandemic. In November 2020, AMR dismissed Singh after he requested and was denied personal protective equipment (PPE) that would accommodate his turban and beard.
Merced County Sheriff's Office on Monday, said in a statement that 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur, their eight-month-old child and relative 39-year-old Amandeep Singh were taken "against their will from a business." They have asked for public's help in locating the four missing persons.
In Dongara, some 351 km northwest of Perth, more than a century-old leather-bound book containing entries written in Gurmukhi - the official script of the Punjabi language - has been found.
The winners include Karina Samuel, 17, from Florida; Karun Kaushik, 17, from California; Laalitya Acharya, 18, from Ohio; and Sri Nihal Tammana, 13, from New Jersey. Established in 2001 by author T.A.Barron, the Barron Prize is a non-profit organisation annually honouring 25 outstanding young leaders from ages 8 to 18.
Bharatbhai Patel was attacked early Tuesday morning when he was on an electric bike to make a delivery, according to The New York Post. The alleged attacker, Sean Cooper, was arrested later Tuesday by police, who called him a "super perp" because he had been arrested 103 times for various alleged crimes, the Post said.
The government of Udmurtia said 17 people, including 11 children, were killed in the shooting. According to Russia's Investigative Committee, 24 other people, including 22 children, were wounded in the attack.
