FRISCO — Frisco police are warning residents to be cautious after receiving several reports of peculiar thefts in the last week. Thieves are reportedly stealing jewelry from unsuspecting victims and sometimes swapping it out with fakes.
In the past week, police have received at least five reports of jewelry thefts, with more reports continuing to roll in. The common thread among these incidents is that criminals are targeting people wearing expensive jewelry.
“This has actually spread like wildfire on all the WhatsApp groups that we have,” said Sushma Malhotra, president of the India Association of North Texas.
Members of the Indian American community believe they are being targeted because it is the festive season of Diwali, when it is customary for women to wear gold jewelry to celebrations.
“This is the Diwali season. It started one month ago, and we are actually praying to the goddess of wealth during this time and well-being. So when we pray to the goddess of wealth, we usually wear our gold jewelry and some gold coins and whatever valuables we have,” Malhotra said.