Neighboring County Seeks Public Help Regarding A Family Kidnapping  

Merced County Sheriff's Office photo

Sonora, CA – The Mariposa Sheriff’s Office has shared information on social media to assist Merced County Sheriff’s Office in spreading the word in the hopes someone in the Mother Lode may have information on the whereabouts of the family pictured in the image box that was kidnapped from a Merced business yesterday afternoon.

The four family members, including a baby, 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur (27) and father Jasdeep Singh (36), and uncle Amandeep Singh (39) were taken against their will from a business in the 800 Block of South Highway 59 just after 1 p.m. Monday (Oct. 3), according to Merced County Sheriff’s officials. Here are pictures of the alleged suspect, who sheriff’s officials say should be considered armed and dangerous.

“We have no idea why the kidnapping, we have no motivation behind it. We’ve got evidence to indicate the individuals involved in this destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover their tracks,” detailed Merced Sheriff Vern Warnke.

Sheriff Warnke is referring to the uncle’s 2020 Dodge Ram Pickup that was found on fire in Winton this morning. He also added, “So far, no contact has been made, nor ransom demands, nothing from the suspects in this.”

Investigators are currently in the early stages of their investigation, and there is no information regarding the kidnapper’s or family’s whereabouts. Anyone with information regarding the family or the suspect should call the Merced County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 385-7445 or email MercedSheriffsOffice@CountyofMerced.com. They cautioned the public not to approach the suspect or victims if spotted and to instead call 9-1-1.