A South Florida aircraft mechanic was reportedly murdered over a substantial financial dispute, which led to three men being charged with his kidnapping and death. Suren Seetal, 36, who worked at several airports in the area and operated a fireworks business, vanished on November 2. His decomposed corpse was discovered with a bullet wound in a secluded section of the Florida Everglades about three weeks later.
Per federal court documents made public by the FBI, the likely motive behind Seetal's murder involves a $315,000 debt owed to him by a business associate, Somjeet Christopher Singh, 29. A federal grand jury has indicted Singh along with Avin "Smalls" Seetaram, 24, and Gavin Hunter, 18, on multiple charges ranging from murder for hire, kidnapping to obstruction of justice, as reported by NBC Miami. The defendants are alleged to have conspired in luring Seetal to a warehouse under false pretenses where he was fatally shot.
The FBI claims that after receiving a text message from Seetaram which included a photo of a key, Seetal drove from his workplace to the entrapment location, a warehouse linked to Singh's HVAC company. The arrest was anchored by detailed toll records, cell phone analysis and purchases made by the suspected assailants, including a yard waste cart thought to have been utilized in transporting Seetal's body, as detailed by The Miami Herald.
Investigations revealed a financial ledger belonging to Seetal, which documented the sizeable amount Singh owed him, contradicting initial claims that Seetal was the debtor. The FBI alleges that Hunter was furnished with $5,000 for executing the grisly act, a sum that lead to the forgiving of a $10,000 debt Seetaram owed to Singh, the indictment states. The victim's final moments were likely spent at the heating and air conditioning business premises before his phone went offline and his murdered body was later found at the Big Cypress Reservation.
Statements released on behalf of the defendants have yet to offer a comprehensive defense. Seetaram's attorney said, "We extend our sincere condolences to the Seetal family. It's still very early, but I have been in regular communication with the Government since my client's arrest, and working diligently with the Government to understand the allegations and reach a just and expeditious resolution to this serious matter." However, further legal proceedings will determine the implicated parties' fates and the full narrative of Seetal's tragic end.
