Police release surveillance footage of three suspects carrying a duffel bag and a rifle near the home of murdered tech executive who ‘made enemies’ through business deals and had just launched a cannabis company
- Tushar Atre, 50, was shot dead and found in his girlfriend’s stolen BMW
- He was lured from his home in Santa Cruz on October 1 then murdered
- Police initially said the motive for the killing was robbery but it is unclear what they stole from him
- Atre was a successful tech CEO but had also just launched a marijuana company
- Friends say he made ‘enemies’ in business and was new to the cannabis world
- Authorities are offering a $150,000 reward for information about his death
Police investigating the murder of a tech executive who was shot dead after being kidnapped in his girlfriend’s stolen SUV last month have shared surveillance footage of three suspects near his home carrying a rifle and a duffel bag the night he vanished.
Tushar Atre, 50, was found dead in October in his girlfriend’s BMW in Santa Cruz. He had been coaxed out of his home and forced into the car, according to sheriffs.
On Thursday, more than a month after he was killed, police shared surveillance footage of three men they say are suspects in the killing.
They were filmed by surveillance cameras walking near Atre’s home carrying a duffel bag and a rifle on October 1.
It remains unclear what they stole from the millionaire’s home or whether or not they had ever come into contact with him before.
Tushar Atre, 50, was found dead in October in his girlfriend’s BMW in Santa Cruz.
Authorities are now offering a $150,000 reward for information which could lead to their arrests. They are asking for the public’s help to identify the three men.
Atre was the CEO of website design company Atrenet, but he had also recently launched a licensed cannabis manufacturing company, Interstitial Systems, when he died.
Friends said he had ‘a lot of enemies’ as a result of the way he did business.
‘Atre made enemies over his business deals. And specifically with his company,’ the friend, who chose to remain anonymous, told KPIX5.
Others in the marijuana industry said that because he was new to it, he had not yet learned how to get along with ‘black market’ players who demanded payment from legitimate outfits.
‘He’s definitely new to the industry. Basically, unfamiliar with the etiquette about how to do business.
Sheriffs released this video of the suspects walking near the 50-year-old’s home with a duffel bag and rifle on October 1
The three men are yet to be identified. Police are urging anyone who recognizes them to contact them
One of the suspects appeared to be wearing a light colored hooded sweatshirt
Atre’s multimillion dollar home, which he was lured from on October 1
Sheriff officials say Tushar was kidnapped ‘during a crime’ and last seen getting into a white BMW SUV on October 1. The BMW was later located along with a body
Atre was a technology CEO but he had recently ventured into the cannabis industry
Atre’s long-distance girlfriend Rachael Emerlye, pictured, is also in the cannabis industry with a company called Benevolence Bound, according to her Instagram account.
‘Unfamiliar with how, you know there are some illegal black market elements in the cannabis industry and if you don’t pay them, bad stuff happens,’ Grant Palmer, the CEO of CannaCruz, a well-established dispensary located just a block down from Atre’s cannabis business, told KSBW.
Police have not indicated whether or not the cannabis business may have had something to do with his death.
Following his disappearance a friend said Atre had many ‘enemies’ in his work and neighbors reported he was involved in illicit activities.
Atre and his girlfriend Rachael Emerlye were dating long-distance as she lives in Massachusetts, but she often visited him and posted video to social media in his lavish ocean-front home.
She was cleared as a suspect last month.
Anyone with information about his death is urged to contact the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office on 831-454-7635.
This map shows Atre’s home in Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, California where he was kidnapped at 3am. The getaway car was found at 10am, 14 miles away on rural Soquel San Jose Road