Jewel thieves in US target PIOs

​Washington: Jewellery thieves are targeting Indian Americans in the US, the police have said, adding that the community is being preyed upon because of the expensive jewellery associated with their customs and culture.

The police said the latest theft happened at a motel owned by an Indian American family in Norwalk city of Connecticut. Police officials shared a surveillance video of the brazen jewellery heist in hopes of catching the thieves responsible. The thieves stole $20,000 worth of ornate jewellery from the Indian American owner's living quarters before fleeing the scene.

Sergeant Seth Fry said the van they used to get away was later recovered at a farm outside the city. The license plate had been removed and all fingerprints had been wiped clean. Investigators said the suspects involved have been committing similar crimes across the country and are believed to be targeting only Indian Americans. "This group is very organized. They're probably moving onto another location and are going to do the same thing," said Sergeant Fry.

He said it appears the group may be checking online records to identify businesses owned by the Indian Americans and are likely pawning the jewellery they get. "They could take it to a pawn shop. They could take it to a jeweller and have it melted down and made into something else, there's many different ways they could get rid of that," he said.