A man is kidnapped, but he is not the target. The kidnappers took the man to his friend’s house, who was the real target. The first man was just a decoy to get the second man to come out of his house, but that didn’t happen. All the drama in Calgary, Canada, left police shocked as they had never seen such an elaborate plan before. They said the kidnappers and targets were both from the city’s South Asian community.Four men have been arrested and a fifth man has been charged. The incident occurred on May 6.Between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., the suspect assaulted and threatened the first man at gunpoint and kidnapped him from a residence in Edmonton. They then drove to Calgary, heading to the next victim’s home, where more suspects were waiting.The kidnappers asked the first man to call their intended target, the second man. He refused and police said he was attacked again.The second man and his wife, fearing for their lives, tried to leave the home, but the suspect threatened them with a gun. They returned inside and called police.The next morning, the suspect drove the first man back to his home. He also called the police.Calgary Police Chief Jeff Bell said the man suffered minor injuries, but it was “obviously a very traumatic situation for him and it will take some time for him to recover mentally and physically.”Police arrested two men during a traffic stop the night of the alleged kidnapping, and arrested two more on May 12.
None of the suspects are Canadian
Although all suspects are from Calgary, none are Canadian. Daksh Gautam, 25, Taranveer Singh, 24, Pardeep Singh, 24, and Akashdeep Singh, 18, all face charges of kidnapping with a firearm, unlawful confinement, assault and assault with a weapon.Police are looking for Gagandeep Singh, 29, also of Calgary, on charges of armed kidnapping, assault with a weapon, assault and false imprisonment. Police said he had a tattoo of a woman on his right forearm and a blue and red eagle on his left forearm.Their immigration status varies, including expired work visas or refugee claimant status. As part of the investigation, police seized a privately manufactured firearm, sometimes referred to as a “ghost gun.”Bell said this is the first time Calgary police have seen such an alleged extortion-related kidnapping. “The extortion incidents we’ve seen in Calgary so far have been a significant escalation in violence,” he said.
