Indian and South Asian families targeted by jewelry thieves in several Massachusetts towns
LINCOLN - Thieves are targeting Indian and South Asian families in several Massachusetts communities in search of expensive jewelry, a pattern that is now being investigated by law enforcement, including the FBI.
They made their way into Samir Desai's home of 43 years in Lincoln, entering through a second floor window that had no alarms while the family travelled for ten days in early July.
"It looks like this gang is really highly organized. They seem to know when we are away, where to go, what to take and disappear," Desai told WBZ-TV.
What to take is the jewelry many Indian and South Asian families are known to have. Desai said not as possessions but heirlooms.
"We are very visible with jewelry. That's how we celebrate our heritage, how we live, that is not a material thing for us, it's something that is passed from generation to generation," said Desai.
Investigators are looking into similar incidents in Billerica, Natick, Weston, Wellesley, Easton and North Attleboro.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the thieves are sophisticated, and enter homes where they know homeowners are gone for a period of time.
"These are opportunity crimes, they are targeted in the sense where they expect to be able to do it successfully, and make going to the house a productive crime," Ryan told WBZ.
The houses are usually set back, sometimes the homeowners are watched, or their whereabouts noted on social media. No artwork or electronics are taken and there are few traces of the crime.
"Sometimes they are maybe several weeks ahead of us," said Ryan. "So if somebody comes home and they've been gone for three weeks we don't know if it happened the first night they were gone or two nights ago."
Desai said this is not a story about him. He wants this to galvanize Indian and South Asian communities, and send a message to protect themselves.
"When a community whether it is Indian or otherwise gets targeted by a gang or anything else, the state has a responsibility and I believe they should step up," said Desai.
Law enforcement is still trying to determine who is behind the robberies that have also happened in other states, while Samir Desai tries to restore a sense of security for himself and his community.