Burglars who victimized Asian American business owners in Connecticut used electronic surveillance on their targets before breaking into their homes, reports WTNH.
After a restaurant owner’s home was burglarized in July in Shelton, Conn., police from across the Northeast gathered to discuss how thieves are using technology and other schemes to gain information and access to potential victims.
Shelton Police Lt. Robert Kozlowsky said the burglar seemed to know where to look for valuables and got away with cash, jewelry, and purses, WTNH reported.
In a case that eerily mirrors a pair of cases AsAmNews reported on earlier this month in Abington Township, Pa., investigators concluded that the perpetrator likely premeditated the act to either record or track the victim’s routine.
“If they find a business owner, they’ll start following this business owner and see what their daily routines are,” said Tim Silva, Fusion Center manager for the Connecticut Intelligence Center.
Silva also said to WTNH that some thieves dress in construction or landscaping gear to make it look as if they are doing house or yard work when they could be installing cameras to spy on potential victims.
AAPI business owners are at particularly high risk of such incidents because their businesses are oftentimes cash only, so they may have higher amounts of physical cash in their homes than the average person. Pair this with cultural norms that result in community members distrusting banks and opting to keep cash stashed away at home, as well as stereotypes as in the Abington case, and the result is that criminals are more likely to target these individuals.
The suspect in the Shelton case, Jung Keng Zhang, 42, from New York, was apprehended in Great Barrington, Mass., and the victim’s belongings were recovered.
Details around the incident, such as the method of entrance and how the perpetrator acquired knowledge of the victim’s home, are unclear. The WTNH report also does not indicate whether the restaurant owner in the Shelton case was physically harmed.
Shelton Police recommend that AAPI business owners avoid storing large amounts of cash in their homes, secure valuables in safes, and install security cameras.
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