On Friday, the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office held a press conference related to 8 people being arrested in a kidnapping investigation.
Sheriff Patrick Withrow shared that on June 21, through tips they became aware of a horrendous crime that had occurred days prior on June 19 in the Manteca area.
“Contact was ultimately made with the victim of that crime and were informed that he had been kidnapped, stripped naked, bound and tortured for an extended period of time,” said Withrow. “After an extensive investigation, all known involved parties were identified, located and arrested.
According to the sheriff the arrests occurred on July 11 in coordination with San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office AGNET Unit—alongside the Stockton Police Department SWAT Team, Manteca Police Department SWAT Team, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, and the FBI SWAT Team.
“This operation led to the arrest of 8 individuals,” said Withrow who released their names and said they have booked into San Joaquin jail on a variety of felony charges.
According to Withrow, Pavittari Preet Singh was the primary suspect in the investigation. He is believed to be the leader of a gang called TMG – an international criminal organization. He said they are out of the India area.
Eight individuals were arrested:
- Dilpreet Singh
- Arshpreet Singh
- Amritpal Singh
- Vishal (no name given)
- Pavittar Singh
- Gurtaj Singh
- Manpreet Randhawa
- Sarabjit Singh
Each suspect was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on various felony charges, including:
- Kidnapping
- Torture
- False Imprisonment
- Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
- Preventing/Dissuading a Witness
- Assault with a Semiautomatic Firearm
- Threats to Terrorize
- Felony Gang Enhancement
Additional weapons-related charges included:
- Possession of a Machine Gun
- Illegal Possession of an Assault Weapon
- Manufacture/Sale of High-Capacity Magazines
- Manufacturing a Short-Barreled Rifle
- Carrying a Loaded, Unregistered Handgun
Seized during the searches:
- 5 handguns (including a fully-automatic Glock)
- 1 assault rifle
- Hundreds of rounds of ammunition
- High-capacity magazines
- Over $15,000 in cash
According to Sid Patel of the FBI-Sacramento field office, called it a collaborative partnership and how the task force and collaboration is addressing violent crime. He said that Pavittari Preet Singh is wanted in India for charges including firearm violations, assault and multiple murders abroad. He also highlighted other arrests over the past six months around San Joaquin County, California and the nation.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced they have filed two complaints charging 8 individuals with serious gang related crimes including kidnapping, torture, extortion, witness intimidation and multiple weapon violations.
Withrow said many will be shocked that this has gone on and they need everyone to be proactive and involved.
He further touched on Gurdev Singh who used a rocket on a police station in India. Back in March 2025, the sheriff’s office arrested him in a stolen vehicle with firearms in it. He was booked in jail. ICE asked to put a hold on him. At the court hearing, bail was set by the court and he made bail and was walking out of the jail. He added, although they were upset, ICE agents were outside waiting for him and took him into custody.
Withrow said the information released today was to raise awareness within the community. He said the individuals in these crimes are committed to using violence any means necessary to get what they need.
“They are a threat to our community and have little or no regard for human life and need to go where people like that belong and that is in prison. I don’t care if it is here, it is in India but I don’t want them in our community and I don’t want them in our state where they can harm others,” said Withrow.
He added this case got significant international attention but wanted to make the community aware.
“I know this group of criminals was terrorizing you but I know you hesitant sometimes to contact law enforcement but without you and without your involvement we may not have brought this group of animals to justice and stop them from continuing to victimize your community and others,” said Withrow who said they would investigate all crimes. “Finally, to those remaining criminals in this vicious gang and our Indian community in San Joaquin County, we are actively looking to seek you out to locate you and put you where you belong. We know there is more of this group out there and we are working to hunt them down and to arrest them and treat them the way they need to be treated.”
He urged the community to reach out and provide information – completely anonymous.
According to the sheriff, the victim who was tortured was a bystander. He said the individuals were trying to get information from him on other members of the community. They were using horrendous means to try and get it from him—they do not know if he will survive this or not. He said circumstances intervened and they had to stop, he was able to get away. The victim is doing okay who is now coming forward to do what others wouldn’t do. He is asking for others to step up to come forward. The victim is an adult.
This takedown was part of the FBI’s Summer Heat initiative, a nationwide effort targeting violent offenders and gang members who terrorize our communities. Summer Heat reflects Director Patel’s commitment to the American people to crush crime and restore safety in neighborhoods across the country.
