Chinese restaurant owners targeted in string of home burglaries
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Police in Pennsylvania are warning Asian American business owners to secure their valuables and their homes as investigators work to solve a string of robberies across the state.
Nearly $1 million has been stolen from the homes of state residents who own Chinese restaurants, the Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.
The burglars are familiar with their victims' routines and find out when the homes will be unoccupied. Then they enter the home and take cash or jewelry.
They work in teams of two or three, with one person acting as a lookout while the rest take items from the home.
Most of the burglaries have been in the northeastern part of the state, Col. Robert Evanchick said in the statement.
In 2021, federal prosecutors indicted eight people in a burglary ring that targeted Asian-owned restaurants. In those cases, prosecutors believe burglars tracked down their targets' homes through the use of tracking devices or following them home from work.