Burglary menace for Asians in UK claims one more victim
An elderly Indian-origin man in Southall has become a victim of burglars here, the latest among the members of Asian community, who have been targeted recently as they keep considerable gold in their homes.
By PTI |
LONDON: An elderly Indian-origin man in Southall has become a victim of burglars here, the latest among the members of Asian community, who have been targeted recently as they keep considerable gold in their homes.
In an incident which happened last week, the unnamed 70-year-old victim allowed a young woman into his house after she asked if she could borrow a pen and some paper to leave a note for a neighbour.
A male accomplice of the girl soon entered the house and was seen heading towards the bedroom.
It was only after the pair had left that the elderly man discovered his deceased wife's jewellery box had been broken into and 23 pieces were missing. A number of the items stolen were made of gold from India.
The burglary also highlights the continuing problem of distraction burglary targeted against elderly people.
The local police has reported that since end-March, two-thirds of all crime in the area related to burglaries of gold and ornaments from the Asian community.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Martin said: "The problem is gold is unfortunately very easy to sell and it's easy to carry down the street without raising suspicion, unlike a 40-inch flat screen television. We say if it's precious, protect it."
The male thief is described as a white male boy with short light brown hair. The female was also reported to be white and of similar age and called herself Natasha.
"If people make it difficult for the burglar, he might break in but won't get away with people's most precious possessions - jewellery bought by a husband or left by a grandmother. It's impossible to replace those kinds of memories," Martin added.
In an incident which happened last week, the unnamed 70-year-old victim allowed a young woman into his house after she asked if she could borrow a pen and some paper to leave a note for a neighbour.
A male accomplice of the girl soon entered the house and was seen heading towards the bedroom.
It was only after the pair had left that the elderly man discovered his deceased wife's jewellery box had been broken into and 23 pieces were missing. A number of the items stolen were made of gold from India.
The burglary also highlights the continuing problem of distraction burglary targeted against elderly people.
The local police has reported that since end-March, two-thirds of all crime in the area related to burglaries of gold and ornaments from the Asian community.
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Detective Sergeant Kevin Martin said: "The problem is gold is unfortunately very easy to sell and it's easy to carry down the street without raising suspicion, unlike a 40-inch flat screen television. We say if it's precious, protect it."
The male thief is described as a white male boy with short light brown hair. The female was also reported to be white and of similar age and called herself Natasha.
"If people make it difficult for the burglar, he might break in but won't get away with people's most precious possessions - jewellery bought by a husband or left by a grandmother. It's impossible to replace those kinds of memories," Martin added.
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