Burglars hid camera in bushes of Braintree neighborhood to spy on victims, police say
BRAINTREE - Police detectives say three suspects in an international theft ring targeted families in a Braintree neighborhood by spying on them with a camera hidden in some bushes.
Carlos Ocampo Carrillo, Lizeth Hernandez and Johana Parra Morales have been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to commit residential burglaries.
Investigators say the suspects are connected to an organized International Theft Group, also known as South American Theft Groups. Detectives say they are all from Colombia.
Video shows burglars crawling around home
Surveillance video from inside one of the victim's homes showed the burglars crawling around their living room, after tripping the alarm two different times on June 20.
The family is too afraid to show their identities but wanted to warn others to be vigilant.
"It's really, really terrifying honestly ... you wouldn't think that it would happen to you, it's really, really shocking," the victim said.
What's more nerve wrecking is that the thieves ended up knowing the right moment to strike, because police say they had been spying on the family with a small camera hidden in the bushes across their Messina Woods home.
Investigators say it was part of a bigger crime ring scheme to break into homes.
Camera was "camouflaged into the bushes"
Kailynn Needle spotted the camera in the bushes but didn't think anything dishonest was going on.
"I was like this is weird why would you have a camera there, because they have a Ring camera so it was just weird that it would be in the bushes," Needle said. "It was standing up facing up so it would face the house and it had duct tape around it so that it would be camouflaged into the bushes."
But thanks to another neighbor who saw the camera and called police, investigators say the three suspects behind the crime ring were arrested.
"The irony of it is that I saw these people several times and I don't remember all that much about them, kind of just a passing thought. Walked by them, waved, didn't hear anything from them and didn't think much of them," said neighbor Dan Lake. "Only until after all this happened that I think, 'wow it's scary that those were the people who were likely watching this house for an opportune time to rob it."
Police set up sting to catch Braintree burglars
So, police say they set up a surveillance mission to trap the suspects.
Police told the victims to pack up and pretend to go on vacation for a few days, so the victims drove to Logan Airport.
Sure enough undercover officers saw a man dressed in all black, with a mask and backpack come back to the house and hidden camera.
After a foot chase and struggle, that's when detectives caught the man. Two women were also arrested in a getaway car.
"I would feel better if like other people in the group gets caught, and stop burglarizing other people's homes," said the victim.
Police say the suspects are facing several burglary charges. The male suspect also faces assault and battery and resisting arrest.