A burglary ring consisting of four men with ties to a violent gang in Providence, Rhode Island has been charged for carrying out 43 break-ins across 25 towns in Massachusetts between the years 2018 and 2024. The majority of homes targeted were occupied by individuals from Indian or South Asian heritage as suspects believed that their households contained precious metals, jewelry, and other valuable heirlooms more often than others’ houses did.
Authorities have revealed that during the break-ins, the stolen property included numerous items with high diamonds and gemstone values of up to approximately $75,000 each; gold bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and large quantities of cash. In some instances, these valuables were kept in locked safes weighing around 400 pounds which the burglars managed to remove along with stolen goods from households they raided. The aggregate value reportedly exceeds $4 million.
Massachusetts State Police have described this gang as “very sophisticated” because its members were disciplined enough to conceal their identity, avoid triggering alarms and minimized cell phone use before during or after the burglaries by using Wi-Fi jammers. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan made these comments about the suspects’ techniques used while carrying out these break-ins in a recent announcement of arrest charges.
Experts recommend homeowners follow what they term “four D’s” when securing their properties, starting with deterrence which includes maintaining low visibility to burglars both on social media and public directories such as LinkedIn by keeping information about valuables or wealth private. They also advise against revealing details of valuable items during contractor visits for home maintenance purposes.
Additionally, it is recommended that homes are monitored using alarm systems wired via fiber-optic cable connections rather than relying on cellular networks to avoid detection by burglars who may jam WiFi signals as they have been observed doing in some of the cases being investigated by police agencies around New England. These tips come after several similar break-ins involving violent crimes occurred between September 2018 and February this year, all with links back to a gang operating out of Providence, Rhode Island.
The suspects’ alleged activities have sparked an ongoing investigation which involves state police from Massachusetts as well as law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, and the FBI’s Boston Division and its regional Computer Analysis Response Team (CART). Police departments from Winchester to Melrose also played a part during recent investigations into this particular burglary ring.
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