PLANO, Texas — In 2022, the city of Plano saw a rash of residential burglaries targeting South Asian residents. Detectives quickly learned that the modus operandi of the theives were identical nearly every time.
More than a year later, three people have been arrested for engaging in organized criminal activity.
"They were having the doors forced open of these apartments," said officer Andrae Smith of the Plano Police Department.
The three suspects are Columbian nationals, according to police. They were identified as Jose Gonzalez, Libardo Soto and Melba Gaitan.
It is believed they are responsible for eight cases in Plano and seven other cases in the DFW metroplex in 2022. In their efforts to find them, Plano detectives had to cast a wider net.
They expanded their search to other cities and states where similar methods were used.
"They wanted to know where these three individuals had been other than Plano," said Smith.
Plano detectives tracked them across four states: Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. And they were identified quite simply because their pattern was the exact same: forced entry into apartments belonging to South Asian residents.
Dinesh Hooda of the Indian Association of North Texas said he's happy to hear the news of the arrests on Tuesday afternoon.
"They were specifically targeting the Indian community because they see we wear lots of jewelry, are wealthy people and keep a lot of cash," said Hooda.
With the help of multiple federal, state and local agencies, Plano police arrested the three suspects.
"Two teams of detectives traveled to Houston, Texas and Orlando, Florida in order to arrest the suspects responsible for the burglary offenses targeting the Asian/Indian community. In Florida, Plano Detectives were assisted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Miami Beach Police Department. In Houston, Plano Detectives were assisted by the US Marshal Service, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office," read a press release from the Plano Police Department.
Plano has been working with the Indian community to address these concerns. This crime ring was busted, but Hooda knows there are other threats to the community.
"We definitely need to be secure, be safe, and protecting their property," Hooda said.
Over the past several years the South Asian community has been the target of several different crimes. Community members have had conversations about breaking certain stigmas and change cultural perception of South Asians.
Community members have discussed being more aware of our surroundings while addressing the behaviors sought out by thieves.