The gold jewelry stored in homes of South Asian origin families in the United Kingdom led to nearly 28,000 theft worth of over 140 million pounds since 2013, according to a report by BBC.
Greater London had the highest worth stolen Rs 115.6 million pounds, followed by 9.6 million pounds in Greater Manchester, as per figures provided by out of 23 of 45 police forces from across Britain on these thefts.
Sanjay Kumar, who specializes in selling “Asian gold”, bought as wedding gifts and known to be stored in homes of South Asian origin families, in the dominantly Indian origin suburb of Southall in west London said he recognized the cultural significance behind gold jewelry and always advised his customers to think carefully about how they store their gold and to ensure it.
“People are told by their parents and grandparents ‘you must buy gold’ it’s an investment, it’s lucky. It’s something that we as Asians do, so people are following the tradition and the culture,” he said.
Police forces investigating cases of theft said that in some of the burglaries victims owned large amounts of jewelry, but that was not always the case. In Cheshire, police set up a dedicated team to work with members of the community after a series of Asian gold related thefts.
Aaron Duggan, head of crime at Cheshire Police, said that one of the challenges his officers face is that gold can be disposed of with no trouble. “At second-hand outlets, certainly around Asian jewelry, questions should be asked – ‘who is this person in front of me selling this gold?’ The irony is it’s often harder in this country to sell scrap metal than it is second-hand jewelry,” he said.
Scotland Yard frequently issues special advice around Diwali, Navratri and other major Indian festivals for the British Asian community to be further attentive. “The festival period tends to see a spike in this type of crime largely due to more jewelry being worn as communities travel across London to different venues – whether temples or to other people’s homes,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
During the course of 2017-18, the Met Police logged 3,300 such high-value thefts, worth around 21.2 million pounds. Kent Police with 89 thefts values 1.6 million pounds and Greater Manchester Police with 238 thefts value 1.5 million pounds were amongst the other crucial hotspots.
“Gold will continue to be highly desired by criminals due to the speed and anonymity with which it can be exchanged for large sums of cash,” Metropolitan Police Detective Constable Lisa Keeley said during last year’s Diwali appeal.
“These pieces of gold and jewelry are not just valuable possessions, they are also of great sentimental value, and if stolen, would have a huge impact on owners. Our proactive measures to tackle these crimes have seen reductions in offenses, however, there is more to be done,” she said.
Operation Nugget is the Met Police’s dedicated operation to tackle gold thieves, which seeks to cut down the number of such offenses through a series of initiatives.
By Sowmya Sangam
