A theft at a motel owned by an Indian-American family in the US state of Ohio has prompted the police to warn that unidentified thieves are targeting the community due to the expensive ornaments associated with its customs and culture.
Ohio's Norwalk Police Department have shared surveillance video of the brazen heist in which USD 20,000 worth of ornate jewellery was stolen from the Indian-American family's house in Norwalk area, Fox 8 news reported.
The vehicle they used to get away was later recovered at a farm outside the city. The license plate had been removed and all fingerprints wiped clean, it said.
The suspects, who have been committing similar crimes across the US, are believed to be targeting Indian-Americans because of the expensive jewellery associated with their customs and culture, a senior police officer said.
"This group is very organised. They're probably moving onto another location and are going to do the same thing," the officer said.
The group may be checking online records to identify businesses owned by Indian-Americans and are likely pawning the jewellery they get, he said.
"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," the police said and sought information from the people on the suspects.