Harrisburg: Pennsylvania State Police say they’re investigating the theft of one million dollars in cash and personal property stolen from the home of Asian business owners.
ABC27 reported that the owners of Chinese restaurants have been the primary targets.
The burglary ring appears to be operating as a team with one acting as a lookout while two others enter the home and a fourth awaits a getaway car.
“While many of these crimes occurred in the northeastern part of the state, similar burglaries have been reported across the commonwealth,” said Colonel Robert Evanchick, the commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement to Levit Town Now. “We want business owners to be aware of this trend and take preventive measures.”
State Police made the following recommendations to business owners:
- Secure cash and valuables in your home.
- Be aware of individuals and vehicles in your neighborhood that aren’t usually there.
- Install motion sensor lights around your home.
- Consider having surveillance cameras and an alarm system installed.
- Keep your vehicle locked while at work and secure registration information.
- Be aware of anyone who might be following you home.
Police say the burglars stake out the home and document the patterns of the residents to figure out when they will be out of the house. The suspects have been known to disguise themselves, wearing yellow safety vests or posing as gardeners.
Last year federal prosecutors indicted eight people accused in a burglary ring targeting mostly the owners of Asian family-owned restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware. (Source: asamnews.com)
