A month after the body of a missing South Florida airplane mechanic was found in Big Cypress Reservation, three Broward County men have been indicted in his kidnapping and murder.
A federal grand jury this week charged Avin Seetaram, 24; Somjeet Christopher Singh, 29; and Gavin Hunter, 18, in the kidnapping and murder of 36-year-old Suren Seetal, who lived in Miami-Dade County, prosecutors said.
The suspects knew Seetal from working in the fireworks business, a criminal complaint said. Authorities found a notebook from Seetal that detailed his transactions, and discovered that Singh owed him over $300,000.
Seetal’s girlfriend told police that before his disappearance, he had begun trying to get his money back. The indictment alleges that Seetaram, Singh and Hunter aimed to get rid of the debt by killing Seetal.
Seetal’s family reported him missing to police on Nov. 4, according to the criminal complaint. By then, he had been dead for two days.
The last person to be in contact with Seetal was his girlfriend shortly before 7 p.m. on Nov. 2. He had worked at the Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport that day, the complaint said. Seetal’s LinkedIn profile says he was an aircraft maintenance technician in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area.
The two talked on the phone, and his girlfriend tried to call him again not long after, but he never answered. He did not come home that night and did not show up for work the next day, the complaint said. Seetal’s body was found on Nov. 21 in a wooded area of the reservation near Alligator Alley. He had been shot in the head.
An FBI special agent wrote in the criminal complaint that cellphone records showed the victim was communicating with Seetaram, known as “Smalls,” and Singh, known as “Lil Chris,” on Nov. 2. Seetaram texted the victim a photo of a key in a drawer, and they talked on the phone about an hour later.
After the phone call, Seetal drove to where Seetaram had texted in the photo, an HVAC business in Broward County that Singh owns and operates and where Seetaram also worked, the complaint said.
The indictment alleged the photo was sent to “lure” Seetal to the business in Margate, where Hunter was waiting for him. Seetal and Hunter fought before Hunter allegedly shot him, according to the indictment. Seetaram paid Hunter $5,000 two days later.
Hunter’s defense attorney Sebastian Cotrone declined to comment when reached by email this week. His arraignment is currently scheduled for Jan. 2, court records show.
Seetal’s phone was at the Margate business that night, moved to a different location and never turned on again, the complaint said. Using SunPass toll records, authorities discovered that Seetal’s car was towed from the Margate business shortly after 2 a.m. on Nov. 3 by Singh’s cousin.
Early in the morning on Nov. 3, Seetaram and Singh were seen at a Home Depot buying a yard waste cart, the complaint said. They returned to the Margate business, where Seetaram’s phone stayed until about 9 a.m. that day.
Seetaram’s phone showed he was driving on Alligator Alley on Nov. 4 toward the area where Seetal’s body would later be found, the complaint said. For several minutes, his phone was in the area of Snake Road and Big Cypress Reservation.
Authorities questioned Seetaram in multiple noncustodial interviews, according to the complaint, and he told them he was home sick on Nov. 2 and did not leave his house, then later said he went to a “job site” with an individual identified only by the initials GH.
He agreed to a phone search, and they found a photo sent to the victim of a key in a drawer, even though the photo had been deleted. Seetaram later said he and Singh lured Seetal to the business to kill him over the debt, according to the complaint. Seetaram’s arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 28, court records show.
“First and foremost, any case involving a loss of life is a tragedy,” Seetaram’s defense attorney David Tarras said in an emailed statement this week. “We extend our deepest 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 (assistant U.S. attorney) and case agents to understand and analyze the allegations and hopefully reach a just and expeditious resolution to this serious matter.”
Singh told authorities in an interview he had not seen Seetal since October at a party in Orlando. He admitted to authorities that he called his cousin to tow Seetal’s car from the business on Nov. 3, according to the complaint.
Singh’s defense attorney Michael Panella did not return an email seeking comment on his behalf. His arraignment is currently scheduled for Jan. 3.
All three men are facing charges of murder for hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping and obstructions of justice. If convicted, each face life in prison or a death sentence, federal prosecutors said.