Who is Tushar Atre? Kidnapped California tech millionaire found dead, cops say
A body discovered earlier this week has been identified as that of Tushar Atre, a 50-year-old California tech CEO who was the victim of a kidnapping, Santa Cruz authorities said.
“This is still an ongoing investigation, but we have reason to believe the motive was robbery,” the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said in an update Wednesday on Facebook.
Atre was taken from his home on Pleasure Point Drive on Tuesday around 3 a.m. and was last seen getting into an SUV, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies later said they found the 2008 BMW SUV and a dead body, but weren’t able to identify the body until Wednesday. The SUV belonged to Atre’s girlfriend, KGO reports.
Authorities said “multiple suspects are involved, but they were unable to provide any descriptions,” according to KGO.
But who is Atre? He’s described by Northern California TV stations as a “millionaire tech exec” and “well-known businessman.” KPIX reported that Atre founded and was CEO of a web marketing and design firm called AtreNet. A LinkedIn profile that appears to be associated with Atre says he has owned the company for nearly 24 years.
Atre lived in a beachfront home on a “quiet street that is frequented by surfers and known for its multi-million dollar properties,” according to KPIX.
“It’s pretty bizarre that a serious crime like this would happen around here,” Santa Cruz local Brandon Kiel said, according to KGO. “This neighborhood’s great, right here on the point where people surf... (it’s) a pretty busy area.”
According to SFGate, “Atrenet’s website includes scores of clients, including companies like Hewlett Packard, LSI Logic, Seagate, Symantec and VeriSign.”
Atre was also reportedly involved in the marijuana business, with KRON describing him as “the owner of a licensed cannabis manufacturing facility.”
“We do know that Mr. Atre was connected to the cannabis industry, but we don’t know if that is related to his kidnapping,” said Ashley Keehn, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, according to KRON.
“We are looking into all aspects of his life,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Brian Cleveland, according to the Los Angeles Times. “All doors are open.”
Cleveland said Atre was at his home Tuesday with others when “multiple suspects broke into his house and abducted him in his girlfriend’s white BMW,” the Times reported.
Authorities said Atre’s kidnapping “was likely targeted,” according to KGO.
“We think that this was not a random act by any means,” Cleveland said, according to the New York Times.
This story was originally published October 2, 2019 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Who is Tushar Atre? Kidnapped California tech millionaire found dead, cops say."
