Thieves target Asian homes for gold again
A spate of burglaries which terrorised Crawley’s Asian community last year has re-started, police have warned.
Seven Asian households reported break-ins in three days last week following a lull during the Christmas and new year period.
Up to 50 burglaries targeting high-purity Asian gold jewellery were linked in the summer and autumn of 2012.
Police have warned Asian householders to be vigilant against the renewed threat as two arrests were made.
Chief Inspector Justina Beeken, district commander for Crawley, said: “We’re very aware of how much distress burglaries of this nature can cause and are doing everything we can to prevent offences and provide reassurance to the Asian communities. I am determined that the offenders will be caught and brought to justice and this will remain the key policing priority in Crawley.”
A house on Halnaker Walk, Bewbush, was broken into at around midday on Wednesday (January 30) though nothing was taken. Later that day, between 2pm-3pm, a large amount of jewellery was taken from a house on Oakfields, Pound Hill.
The next day a resident of Hexham Close, Worth, reported an attempted break-in at around 4.10pm. Gold jewellery was taken from a house on Langley Drive after a man posing as a fence fixer distracted a resident at around 4.30pm the same day. The suspects were described as white, one with an eastern European accent, wearing black puffa jackets and baseball caps.
Bharat Lukka, of Gurjar Hindu Union, said: “Once an intruder comes into your home things are never the same after that. Young people might get over it but it’s very hard for older people. This jewellery has sentimental value which, for some items, you cannot put a price on.”
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Wednesday 19 June 2013
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