Luxury Homes in Surrey, England targeted by Brazen Thieves –

The following is an article regarding the terrible spate of burglaries happening in Surrey UK. Mainly targeting Luxury homes with large amounts of Jewellery and Gold not securely stored in a safe or safe room. The Police are urging home owners to think about and take action on the Security of themselves and their belongings. 

A gang of brutal gold thieves has plundered homes – mainly owned by Asians – in more than 30 burglaries in Surrey since July, as this ‘heat map’ issued by police reveals.

The map shows just how concentrated the high-value thefts have been

Many of the victims have South Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) heritage, as these communities sometimes hold gold for cultural reasons, according to police.

Detectives said that a gang of ‘organised’ criminals was working in the Surrey area and warned people who had gold stored in their homes to take extra precautions amid the threat of more raids.

The thieves – usually operating in teams of three or four – are targeting high value, high purity gold, and have stolen wedding jewellery and priceless family heirlooms.

The burglars have been ransacking properties – unafraid of being seen and threatening homeowners when disturbed.

They are targeting high value, high purity gold, and have stolen wedding jewellery and priceless family heirlooms.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: ‘We believe around 30 burglaries and attempted burglaries since July 2020 may be connected to one or more organised criminal groups operating across the UK.

‘Some of the pieces taken were wedding jewellery, or heirlooms handed down through generations, with great sentimental value.  Many of the victims held gold and jewellery in place of life savings and some had not been able to insure them.’

MasterChef star Marcus Wareing’s £7m London mansion was raided by a team of ‘burglary tourists’ who jetted in from Chile and took his watch collection including his prized gold Rolex and his wife’s Louboutin shoes.

The Michelin-starred restaurateur’s Wimbledon home was broken into in October 2019 by a South American gang who sprayed an orange spot on his fence to mark their target.

Mr Wareing was at his second home in Kent with his wife Jane when Danko Carvajal-Donaire, 20, Claudio Donoso, 20, Nicolas Portilla Astorga, 27, and Jorge Rojas, 22, smashed their way in through the six-bedroom property’s patio doors and grabbed £33,000 of valuables from their bedroom.

Only this small pendant was later recovered

Jane Wareing’s valuable bracelets, earrings and gold chains, a £1,500 Cartier watch, £520 Louboutin shoes and a locket with pictures of her beloved father were also stolen.

The thieves were arrested days later on their way to burgle another London property. Only a small pendant has been recovered. The four men were jailed for three years and four months each

Detective Superintendent Wendy Whiting said: ‘These despicable individuals will literally ransack properties – pulling off bath panels, ripping up floorboards and turning over lofts if they believe there is gold hidden in the house.

‘Unlike many burglars, they are not shy of being seen – if disturbed they may threaten the occupants rather than immediately fleeing.

‘The common link is that they are being targeted because of the amount of jewellery they have in their home.

‘We are asking anyone who has large amounts of gold or jewellery to store your valuables securely in a safety deposit box or bank vault.

‘If you have to keep gold at home, install a safe that meets British Standard EN 1143-1 and the police recognised “Secured By Design” standards.

‘The safe needs to be securely attached to the building (ideally bolted to, or embedded in, a solid concrete floor).

‘Add other security measures such as CCTV, alarms and security marking your jewellery with a forensic marking product.

‘Don’t advertise your jewellery or when you are away, online – don’t post photos of your jewellery on social media and be careful mentioning holidays or extended absences from home.

‘When wearing jewellery for a special event, keep it covered until you are indoors and with people you trust.

‘During Navratri (which ended on Sunday) and Diwali, avoid decorating the outside of your house or car with religious or celebration symbols (flags, lights or other emblems) as these can advertise to thieves that you may have gold present.

‘It is possible that thieves may be following expensive cars from workplaces, restaurants or places of worship.

‘They may even be tracking them with GPS devices. Try to park your vehicle in a secure area, or vary where you park,’ she said.

‘The thieves must be either following the occupants; possibly home from temple or celebration events; or they are carrying out reconnaissance on the homes before they strike.

‘We believe that the burglary teams are travelling to their targets in a single car, and often park directly opposite or right outside, so please be vigilant – especially if the car has more than one occupant.

‘If you suspect a vehicle or individuals either in your area, or following someone, we need to know about it promptly.