Massachusetts police bust burglary ring that stole $4 million in jewels over six years

BOSTON (AP) — A burglary ring that allegedly stole more than $4 million worth of jewelry mostly from the homes of South Asians in over two dozen communities has been broken up, the Massachusetts State Police said.

Four people, including two brothers, were indicted April 18 after a nine-month investigation on 95 counts of unarmed burglary and breaking and entering a dwelling house in the daytime with intent to commit a felony.

Police on Friday said the Providence-based theft crew broke into homes in 25 Massachusetts communities between July 21, 2018 and March 30. Police say the gang targeted South Asian homes because they thought they would have more jewelry.

Among the stolen jewels, police said, were diamonds and other gems worth $75,000 each as well as gold bracelets, necklaces, earrings and cash. On several occasions, the gang stole locked safes weighing hundreds of pounds with the jewelry inside.

“The defendants in this case were very sophisticated. They targeted victims based on their ethnicity and then gathered information about their targets in order to strike when families were not at home,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. “They were disciplined in concealing their identity, avoiding alarms and minimizing cell phone use before, during and after the breaks and using Wi-Fi jammers.”

Lt. Col. Mark Cyr, commander of the Massachusetts State Police Division of Homeland Security, said the theft crew stole “countless items of great monetary, emotional, and cultural value from families in multiple states, and did so by violating the sanctity of their homes.”

“Such brazen criminal actions will not be tolerated in our communities,” he added. “This investigation highlights the dedication of our law enforcement partners to work collaboratively to take down complex criminal networks.”