UK Thieves Eye ‘Pushtaini’ Jewellery of Indians, Rob 28,000 Homes in 6 Years for Asian Gold

London: Indian-beginning houses are at the center of over a hundred and forty million kilos worth of gold jewelry stolen within the UK over the past five years, a freedom of information request discovered on Saturday.
So-referred to as “Asian gold,” offered as wedding ceremony gifts and known to be saved in homes of South Asian foundation households as its miles handed down generations, led to nearly 28,000 thefts since 2013, the BBC research observed. Out of 23 of forty-five police forces from throughout Britain that furnished figures on these thefts, Greater London had the highest price stolen, 115.6 million pounds, accompanied using nine.6 million pounds in Greater Manchester.

Sanjay Kumar, who specializes in promoting Asian gold in the dominantly Indian-starting place suburb of Southall in west London, stated he recognized the cultural importance in the back of gold jewelry and usually suggested his clients think carefully approximately how they save their gold and to ensure it. People are informed using their mothers, father, and grandparents ‘they need to buy gold; it’s an investment, and it is fortunate. It’s something that we as Asians do, so human beings are following the culture and the way of life,” he stated.

Jewellery

Police forces investigating instances of robbery stated that victims owned massive amounts of jewelry in some of the burglaries, but that turned into no longer usually the case. In Cheshire, police installation a committed crew to paintings with individuals of the network after a chain of Asian gold-associated burglaries. Aaron Duggan, head of crime at Cheshire Police, stated that one of his officers’ challenges is that gold may be disposed of easily.

At second-hand stores round Asian jewelry, questions should be asked – ‘who is this individual in front of me selling this gold?’ The irony is it’s often harder on this u. S. A. To sell scrap metal, then it is 2nd-hand jewelry,” he stated. Scotland Yard often issues unique advice around Diwali, Navratri, and other main Indian fairs for the British Asian network to be extra vigilant.

The competition period tends to see a spike in this kind of crime largely due to more jewelry being worn as groups tour across London to distinct venues, whether or not temples or other human beings’ homes,” the Metropolitan Police said in an announcement. During 2017-18, the Met Police recorded 3,300 excessive-price thefts worth around 21.2 million pounds. Kent Police, with 89 thefts worth 1.6 million pounds, and Greater Manchester Police, with 238 thefts worth 1.5 million kilos, have been the other key hotspots.

Gold will continue to be enormously desired by using criminals because of the velocity and anonymity it could be exchanged for massive sums of coins,” Metropolitan Police Detective Constable Lisa Keeley said throughout final year’s Diwali enchantment. These portions of gold and jewelry aren’t simply valuable possessions; they are also of first-rate sentimental cost and, if stolen, would have a massive effect on owners. Our proactive measures to tackle those crimes have seen reductions in offenses, but there’s extra to be performed,” she stated. Operation Nugget is the Met Police’s dedicated operation to tackle gold thieves, which seeks to power down the number of such offenses thru a chain of tasks.

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