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.
According to police, Patel was not in a crosswalk, and surveillance footage showed eastbound traffic had a green light at the time. The Patel family has decided to donate Patel's kidneys following his death.
The resolution, which was passed last week, appreciated the Sikhs for their humanitarian services, despite receiving hate and facing oppression for their faith worldwide. In December, Utah became the 15th state in the US to include information about Sikhism, Sikh practices, and traditions in their schools' social studies syllabi.
He was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child following the conclusion of a trial at the same court on December 6, 2022. The court heard how Bremakumar carried out the abuse in 2010, targeting a young girl under the age of 16 who was known to him.
Musharraf, 79, was in Dubai since 2006. He was suffering with amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by an abnormal development of protein called amyloid in organs and tissues of the whole body.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, pleaded guilty to three charges, including an offence under the Treason Act, during a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday. A resident of Southampton, Hampshire, Chail had reportedly said: "I am here to kill the Queen", before he was handcuffed and arrested.
Anmol Chana, then 25, stabbed his mother Jasbir Kaur, 52, and step father Rupinder Bassan, 51, more than 20 times at their home in Oldbury, West Midlands, in February 2020. He was sentenced to life in prison at the Birmingham Crown Court, with a minimum of 36 years in jail.
