A millionaire tech executive is feared dead after being kidnapped from his lavish California home following the discovery of a dead body in his girlfriend’s stolen BMW SUV.
The missing executive has been identified as Tushar Atre is a web designer founder, owner of a corporate website development company. He has worked in Silicon Valley since the 1990s and is currently CEO of a firm called Atrenet.
Atre, 50, was snatched from his ocean-front California home at 3am Tuesday and forced into a white BMW SUV that belonged to his girlfriend, according to police.
Police believe multiple assailants burst into his multi-million dollar home on 3000 block of Pleasure Point Drive in Santa Cruz that looks out onto the ocean.
A 911 call reporting a home invasion was received from the property before Atre vanished.
The white BMW the abductors snatched for a getaway vehicle belonged to his girlfriend and was found at 10am, seven hours later, in the Santa Cruz mountains on Soquel San Jose Road, 14 miles away from Atre’s home, with an unidentified body inside.
By Wednesday evening police confirmed that his body was found in the abandoned vehicle and said the motive is believed to be robbery.
Earlier friends and several neighbors say the tech boss had ‘enemies’ in his business and could have been involved in illicit activities.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office wrote on their Facebook page on Tuesday saying: ‘UPDATE: We have some unfortunate news, we have found the car associated with this case along with a deceased person. That person has not been identified. Our detectives are still working on this case.’

‘There is more than one suspect involved’ and they are ‘still actively investigating the motive of the kidnapping,’ a Public Information Officer for the Sheriff’s Office told People.
The relationship between Atre and the suspects is unknown.
However, one friend of the web designer says he had several enemies.
‘Atre made enemies over his business deals. And specifically with his company,’ the friend, who chose to remain anonymous, told KPIX5.
One resident who spoke to ABC7 on condition of anonymity said, ‘Santa Cruz is notorious for different things going on. And you know, people with money sometimes get sucked into interesting situations.’

One neighbor reported said they ‘saw the BMW late Monday night on Pleasure Point while walking his dog’ and ‘he heard some sort of commotion in the morning.’
Many neighbors reported seeing Atre involved in questionable activity and illicit behavior.
‘Somebody broke into his house last night and kidnapped him at 3am, we have no idea why, we have no idea who,’ a friend named Christopher Lochhead shared in a plea on Facebook on Tuesday.
‘We need everybody all of our friends the entire community to get behind this effort and support our sheriffs department and the FBI and law enforcement in finding Tushar.’
Based on social media, it seems the tech boss was taking a step back from work. On social media he shared many posts relaxing at home and enjoying the outdoors by surfing and biking.

While many LinkedIn reviews are glowing of Atre’s work, several reviews on employment rating site GlassDoor paint him as a dictatorial and abusive boss.
One former disgruntled anonymous employee said: ‘I think Tushar Atre is the worst person I’ve ever met in my life and I wouldn’t wish my worst enemy to work for him.’
Another added: ‘Tushar Atre doesn’t value anyone but himself. You may get a robust product or a paycheck but it comes with a hefty price because this CEO thinks he is the only person in this world that matters. He scream abuse at employees. He treats people in ways you would not think possible.
Another poster wrote: ‘Total abusive nightmare! The worst employment experience of my life! You’ve been warned — run away now!’
A former contractor agreed: ‘It’s about the decency and respect that he lacks.
‘Tushar wants you to sacrifice your personal integrity, that he doesn’t have, and manipulate Atrenet team or clients to get what you want and show who has an upper hand.
Says the most condescending things to men and women, tyrannical to anyone he thinks is below him, which is pretty much everyone.
‘Or he will deviously turn on his other personality and make you feel like you’re “important” to him and you will never know the true him.
‘He’s as inconsistent and disrespectful as someone in a leadership role can be. If you choose to be involved with AtreNet, better hope you aren’t one of Tushar Atre’s victims.’

I’ve known to Tushar for quite a few years, He’s always been one of the most kind, generous, honest and trustworthy people I’ve had the honor of knowing,’ shared on Facebook, commenting on the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s update. ;Yes there are horrible people In the world, some I would go as far as to call them predators and they look for people just like Tushar to take advantage of.  I hope and pray that they catch them and bring them to justice.’
Atre’s company, Atrenet describes itself on LinkedIn as ‘a group of talented professionals that share a passion for technology, design and producing great websites.’
‘AtreNet [has] been serving the web design and development needs of many of the most innovative and successful high tech companies in Silicon Valley since 1996,’ it added.
Police said they are working ‘tirelessly’ on the case.