Police are hunting a gang of intruders after a multi-millionaire former California winery owner was found dead in his luxury mansion in Silicon Valley.
Venture capitalist Raveesh ‘Ravi’ Kumra (pictured), 66, was killed at his 7,000sq ft home in Monte Sereno last Friday – the first recorded homicide in the affluent suburb in 40 years.
Kumra’s ex-wife Harinder, who was injured in the attack, told police that up to four people had ransacked the luxury home, led by a slim young white or Latino male. Police have since issued an e-fit likeness of the alleged attacker.
Kumra, who is reported to have come to the US from Kartharpur in India in 1970, bought The Mountain Winery in Saratoga in 1995 for US$6m.
However, the winery – which had been built by French-born California wine pioneer Paul Masson more than a century ago – was sold on in 1999 after reported disagreements between Kumra and his workers.
Kumra had made his fortune in the mobile phone industry and had lived at the mansion in the southern part of Silicon Valley since 1995, but had reportedly encountered financial difficulties in the recent past.
Written by Richard Woodard
