Nassau County cops bust South American burglary ring targeting Indian-Americans
HICKSVILLE, N.Y. -- A sophisticated ring of burglars from South America, who crossed the border three months ago, is accused of targeting an ethnic group on Long Island.
As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported Wednesday, police say the suspects used lookouts and surveillance to follow unsuspecting victims.
The Indian-American community is being targeted in a home burglary ring.
According to the Nassau County Police Department, the suspects wore vests and posed as utility workers in Hicksville.
"They would watch those coming out of the Patel store or the jewelry store or getting their nails done. They follow them to their residence," Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
"It happened two blocks from my house, 5 o'clock in morning. It is really terrifying," homeowner Tejal Patel said.
Police say the four suspects are from Colombia and were caught in New Hyde Park, where they followed a victim to her South Drive home.
Neighbor Anita Ramolia said she was walking her dog when she saw police activity.
"It's scary. I mean, I'm home and it's constantly on my mind," Ramolia said.
Nassau's Burglary Pattern Squad had the fake utility workers under surveillance.
"They started to pry the door, the glass broke, and the woman who was now awake inside the house screamed," Ryder said.
The suspects were nabbed as they tried to flee. One hid a stolen AK-47 in woods near a school, police said.
"They wrapped it in a plastic bag, and placed it with the bullets in the woods across the street from the house, and any child, any kid, could have picked that gun up," Ryder said.
Detectives say the four suspects are undocumented and entered illegally through borders in Texas, Arizona, and California.
"These individuals should never have been allowed to make their way into the United States. They were caught at the border and rather than be detained, they were let go," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
Police say they have 20-30 recent open cases in this area, with similar MOs that could be linked to the crew of four.
"The law has to be in place for these guys. It has to be a little more strict so they feel the pain," Hicksville homeowner Mohammed Kashif said.
The four suspects did not make bail and are being held until their next court date.