Several Indian homes burglarized during cultural holidays

In the fall, many Indians celebrate festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra and the popular Diwali. This gives the families a chance to dress up extravagantly in their native clothing — outfits that often include expensive jewelry, pendant, and glass bangles pulled from bank deposit boxes.

Apparently, some burglars have become aware of these traditions and have started to target the homes of local Indians, a problem often made worse by lax security measures.

One Indian resident of Saratoga, who wished to stay anonymous, was robbed earlier in the month of October.

“I was shocked when I found out that I had been robbed,” the resident said. “We live in Saratoga, a place that’s known for being safe, a place where you don’t need to worry about things like robberies.”

She said the perfectly timed robberies show how smart thieves are getting.

“I feel like I shouldn’t have been so naive, because thieves know that the Indian holidays are nearing, which means more unguarded valuables,” the resident said. “It’s scary to think that robbers are catching up on this idea.”

While her family was out, the thieves broke into her front windows, which were unlocked. They took several gold chains and two pendants. After having her house robbed, the resident immediately returned all her valuables back to her deposit box but plans on taking them out again when the holiday season is over. 

Many of the burglaries have occurred in the Golden Triangle area. One woman said she had her jewels stolen because she kept them all in the same place. Some residents have had their houses stolen from multiple times.

Another woman, who was a victim of these burglaries, thinks there is a lesson to learn: Just because one lives in Saratoga doesn’t mean that he or she shouldn’t be cautious.

“It’s important to keep ourselves and our things safe,” she said. “It’s sad to think that there are people out there waiting for this kind of opportunity.”

The sheriff’s department did not return emails seeking comment on these burglaries.