Gurdwara shootings. The California Police has arrested 17 persons in connection with a number of shootings that took place in Gurudwaras in Stockton, Sacramento, and in other places recently. They also seized weapons, including AK-47s, handguns, and machine guns, during raids carried out in over 20 places.
The arrested persons, mostly members of the local Sikh community, were part of rival criminal gangs which alleged to have been involved in violent crimes and shootings, including five attempted murders, in Sutter, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, and Merced counties, news agency PTI reported California attorney general Rob Bonta, Yuba City police chief Brian Baker, and Sutter County district attorney Jennifer Dupré as saying.
The officials also said two persons among the arrested are part of a mafia and are wanted in India for a number of murders. According to Hindustan Times, local reports said at least four of the arrested are Indian passport holders and the rest are born and brought up as American national Sikhs.
According to the police, some of the arrested persons were involved in a mass shooting at a Stockton Sikh temple on August 27 last year, and also a shooting that took place at a Sacramento Sikh temple on March 23 this year.
The police claimed that timely action by law enforcement agencies could prevent two additional shootings from happening. “Today, California is safer thanks to collaboration, determination, and swift action by DOJ agents and our law enforcement partners in Sutter County,” said California attorney general Rob Bonta.
He also assured people in California not to worry about drive-by shootings or other forms of gun violence in their neighbourhoods. “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,” he said.
Courtesy Hindustan Times