South Florida airplane mechanic killed. It’s likely over $315K debt owed by partner, FBI says
The motive for the murder of a South Florida aircraft mechanic likely stems from more than $300,000 that his partner in a fireworks business owed him, newly unsealed FBI documents reveal.
Suren Seetal, 36, went missing Nov. 2 after leaving work at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. Nearly three weeks later, police found his partially decomposed body with a gunshot wound to the head in a wooded area off Snake Road in the Big Cypress Seminole reservation in Broward County on Nov. 21.
A federal grand jury Monday indicted three Broward County men — Avin Seetaram, 24, who the FBI says also goes by the name of “‘Smalls;” Somjeet Christopher Singh, 29; and 18-year old Gavin Hunter — on murder and kidnapping charges connected with Seetal’s death.
Agents found evidence that Singh owed Seetal $315,000, and Seetal’s girlfriend told police he had recently been trying to collect the debt, according to an FBI probable cause affidavit filed Nov. 22 that was unsealed in court Tuesday.
Seetal, Singh and Seetaram were all partners in a side business that bought and sold fireworks, according to the affidavit.
The FBI says Seetal was lured to his death at a Miramar warehouse where Singh’s heating and air conditioning business is located. He drove their from the airport after receiving a text message from Seetaram that included a photograph of a key inside a drawer, according to the affidavit.
Once he arrived, the grand jury indictment states Hunter was waiting for him with a gun and shot him. When police found his body at the reservation, there was a cut plastic zip tie nearby, the FBI said in its affidavit.
According to the grand jury indictment, Singh gave Seetaram $5,000 to pay Hunter to pull the trigger on Seetal. Seetaram had owed Singh $10,000, a debt that was forgiven after the murder, the indictment states.
FBI agents find Seetal’s notebook
Using cell phone records and Sunpass toll information, the FBI states the following happened after Seetal was killed.:
A tow truck driver removed Seetal’s car from the warehouse around 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 3.
Seetaram and Signh drove to a Home Depot later that day and bought a 96-gallon yard waste cart for $124 in cash.
Seetaram then drove back to the warehouse before driving west on Alligator Alley to where police found Seetal’s body.
When FBI agents interviewed Seetaram, he first told them he was home sick all day Nov. 2. He then changed his story, saying he was on a job for the HVAC business with Hunter, who also works for Singh, according to the affidavit.
Eventually, Seetaram told agents that he and Singh lured Seetal to the warehouse to kill him because he owed Singh a large amount of money, according to the affidavit.
Singh told the FBI that he hadn’t seen Seetal since before Halloween when they were together at a party in Orlando, the affidavit states.
It wasn’t until agents read a notebook kept by Seetal on Nov. 21 regarding the fireworks business that they discovered the motive may have been over debts he was owed. The notebook stated that Singh owed Seetal $315,000.
According to Seetal’s LinkedIn page, he was a aircraft mechanic working at both Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
His family had been offering a $25,000 reward for information about his whereabouts.
Seetaram, Singh and Hunter are charged with murder for hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice.
Seetaram is scheduled to appear before a judge to answer for the charges Dec. 28. Hunter’s first appearance is set for Jan. 2; Singh is scheduled Jan. 3.
If convicted, they would each face a mandatory sentence of either life in prison or the death penalty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Singh’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on their clients’ arrest and indictment. Information about Hunter’s legal representation was not immediately available.
Seetaram’s attorney emailed the following statement to the Miami Herald on Tuesday:
“First and foremost, any case involving a loss of life is a tragedy. 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.”
