The Leicestershire police have urged Asian families to not keep their gold at home, after a growing number of robberies targeting Asian households.
The police released image of a burglar, who has been jailed for four years, for a violent robbery at a Brit-Indian household last year in October. They have been using the case to renew its appeal for families to consider removing their "high value gold or jewellery" from their homes and placing them in a safety deposit box. They also urged people to "double lock doors and windows, use timer switches on lamps if they are out and keep a light on in the evening".
The elderly couple who remained anonymous, were left scarred and decided to sell their home in the area and move after years of living there.
On the day, the 63 year old woman was asleep with her three year old grandchild next to her. She was awoken by a blow to her face. She was then subjected to a vicious attack and threatened with a knife before she was left unconscious. The robbers stole more than £20,000 worth of items.
The Leicestershire Police said, "Gold bangles on her wrists were stolen along with cash and other items of jewellery. The child wasn't harmed during the incident but the victim was treated in hospital for cuts and bruises.”
African-origin Farhan Loonat, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at Leicester Crown Court and has been sentenced to jail for four years on last Thursday. Detectives believe Loonat did not act alone and there was another suspect who could never be identified. Although Loonat was not involved in the violent attack on the victim, his fingerprints were found within the property which then led officers to identify and arrest him within weeks of the offence.
Leicester has a large Asian population, many associated with gold merchants and traders from the city's Golden Mile, on Belgrave Road. 74 year old, Indian-origin jeweller Ramniklal Jogiya was killed this January, in what is believed to be a robbery gone wrong. The incident caused a lot of distress within the local community. The local police have now deployed extra officers to patrol the Golden Mile. Four men aged between 19-29 were charged with his manslaughter last month.
