Millionaire tech CEO who was kidnapped from his lavish California home feared dead after a body is found 14 miles away
A millionaire tech CEO is feared dead following the discovery of a body in his girlfriend's BMW SUV after he was allegedly kidnapped from his luxurious California residence. According to police, 50-year-old Tushar Atre was snatched from his ocean-front home in Santa Cruz at 3 am on 1st October, People reports.
Atre is currently CEO of a firm called Atrenet and has worked in Silicon Valley since the 1990s. Multiple assailants stormed into his private residence that overlooks the ocean at Pleasure Point, police believe. Before Atre vanished, dispatch received a 911 call from the property reporting a home invasion. The high profile web designer frequently posts photos on social media and is often seen surfing or performing other outdoor activities.
Following the invasion, his girlfriend's BMW SUV was stolen and later found by authorities 14 miles away from the home with an unidentified corpse inside. "UPDATE: We have some unfortunate news, we have found the car associated with this case along with a deceased person," Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook later on Tuesday. "That person has not been identified. Our detectives are still working on this case.'
Atrenet is a corporate website development company. Tushar, who owns the firm, was possibly forced into the SUV near his home on the 3000 block of Pleasure Point Drive.
A Public Information Officer for the Sheriff's Office told People, "There is more than one suspect involved" and they are "still actively investigating the motive of the kidnapping."
"We cannot confirm the identity of the body that was found yet," they added.
Nearby residents at the affluent community were shocked to learn this happened in their neighborhood. However, some speculated there were illicit activities going on in Atre's property. "Santa Cruz is notorious for different things going on," one resident told ABC7 on condition of anonymity. "And you know, people with money sometimes get sucked into interesting situations."