Sikh Volunteer Kidnapped from Tracy Gurdwara and Killed in Case of Mistaken Identity

A well-known Sikh volunteer was kidnapped in broad daylight from outside a gurdwara in Tracy, California, by three men who forced him into an SUV despite his resistance. He was later found dead near Lake Berryessa, and law enforcement officials confirmed the killing was a case of mistaken identity in which the victim was not the intended target.

Sikh Man Seized Outside Tracy Gurdwara in Daylight Abduction

Surveillance footage captured the abduction of a Sikh man identified as Singh from outside a gurdwara in Tracy, California, showing the moment three suspects lunged at him at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon and forced him into the back of an SUV. Singh attempted to fight off his attackers, but the three men overpowered him before bystanders could intervene. San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow confirmed publicly that Singh had resisted but was unable to overcome the three assailants. NDTV reported on the case on February 25, 2026, describing it as a mistaken-identity killing — the victim was targeted in error, not because of anything he himself had done. The choice of location made the incident particularly disturbing: the attack took place in open daylight, in the afternoon hours, at a place of religious community and worship. Gurdwaras in the Central Valley and Bay Area typically see volunteers and worshippers come and go throughout the day, and the gurdwara in Tracy was no exception. The abduction, caught on footage, left no ambiguity about what had occurred or how it had unfolded, and the recording became central to the investigation that followed. For the Sikh community in Tracy and the surrounding area, the images of one of their own being dragged away from outside a sacred space in the middle of the afternoon carried a weight that extended well beyond the individual tragedy of Singh's fate. [3]

Well-Known Volunteer Found Dead Near Lake Berryessa

KTVU identified the victim as a well-known Sikh volunteer in the Tracy community — someone whose presence and service at and around the local gurdwara had made him a recognizable and trusted figure among those who worshipped and volunteered there. His body was found near Lake Berryessa, a large reservoir in Napa County approximately 100 miles north of Tracy, indicating that the suspects had transported him a significant distance from the site of his abduction before he died. The geographic distance between where he was taken and where his body was found reflected the deliberate nature of the crime even as officials confirmed that he had been the wrong person — seized in a case of mistaken identity where the perpetrators had targeted someone else entirely. For a community that knew him through his volunteer work, learning that a familiar face had been killed in this manner — taken from the very place he served, transported across county lines, and killed because of someone else's error — was a particular kind of grief. Volunteers at gurdwaras hold a specific and honored role: they are the people who prepare and serve langar, the community meal that is central to Sikh practice, and who help maintain the space and welcome those who enter. The loss of such a person, in such circumstances, raised questions about safety and security at Sikh institutions across California that the community would need to address in the aftermath of this case. [1]

Officials Confirm Mistaken Identity in Tracy Temple Kidnapping

The Los Angeles Times reported on the Tracy killing with emphasis on the official determination that the crime was a fatal case of mistaken identity — a characterization that law enforcement sources confirmed to reporters directly. The phrase used in the paper's coverage, that the victim was snatched from a California Sikh temple in what officials described as a mistaken-identity case, made clear that the determination came not from community speculation but from the investigators who examined the evidence. In a mistaken-identity case, the victim is killed not because of who they are but because they were confused for someone else — a distinction that is simultaneously exculpatory for the victim and deeply disturbing in what it reveals about the intent of the perpetrators. The fact that three suspects coordinated a daylight abduction outside a gurdwara, seized the wrong person, and transported him until he died speaks to a level of premeditation that made the eventual determination of mistaken identity even more difficult to process. For the family and community of the man who was killed, knowing that he had not been the intended target does not lessen the loss, and for the wider Sikh community in California, the case surfaced long-standing concerns about safety in and around gurdwaras, which function as open community spaces that do not restrict access. The LA Times coverage placed the incident in a national context of violence affecting religious minorities and diaspora communities in the United States. [2]

Sources: [3] NDTV · [1] KTVU · [2] Los Angeles Times