Sudbury residents on edge amidst alleged break-in string targeting South Asians

Weston, Lincoln, Wellesley and Carlisle -- they are some of the most affluent communities in Massachusetts -- and now these towns have something else in common: they’ve been targeted by what authorities believe is a nationwide theft ring -- one specifically targeting households of South Asian descent.

Now you can add Sudbury to the list.

This week, police reported two break-ins that shared three things in common. The homeowners were away on vacation, the burglars entered through the second floor and both targets were of Indian descent.

Why would Indians be prime targets?

“Because they know that on the Indian subcontinent, folks like jewelry, especially golden stuff,” said Rehan Khan, who lives with his wife Rumana, near one of the burglarized houses in Sudbury.

And it does seem jewelry is what the thieves are after -- along with cash.

“Very unsettling that it happened, literally, right under our noses,” said Rumana Khan -- who added that the couple didn’t hear or see anything terribly unusual.

“What is unsettling, if you will, for me, is that our residents are unsettled,” said Sudbury Police Chief Scott Nix. “We want our residents to feel safe and to be safe.”

That is why police posted to social media some details about the thefts -- which took place on Cudworth Lane and Twin Pond Lane. Both neighborhoods feature what thieves of this kind need, said Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan -- houses widely spaced apart.

“(The burglaries) also have been on smaller streets,” Ryan said. “So maybe if they’re coming in and going around to the back of the house they’re not attracting much attention.”

Ryan said there’s a reason the burglars have tended to enter through second-floor windows.

“Often, people with security systems have alarmed their first floor points of entry, but not their second,” she said.

Sudbury is at least the seventh Massachusetts community with burglaries of this nature. Ryan said that since January, at least 14 homes have been hit.

Investigating these break-ins hasn’t been easy.

“We have not been recovering a lot of forensic evidence at the scenes,” Ryan said.

In addition, because the robberies have taken place while homeowners are on vacation, it’s hard to pinpoint a time the crime was committed. That reduces the chance of finding someone with useful information on what they might have seen or heard.

The Khans plan to remedy that problem.

“We have an alarm system, but I’m going to install some cameras,” Rehan Khan said.

Nix said homeowners should keep vacation plans to themselves -- as much as possible -- but include a trusted neighbor -- one who can keep an eye on your property while you’re gone.

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