Colombian illegal immigrants targeting Indians in US arrested: Police
Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Oct, 2022 01:03 PM
New York, Oct 13 (IANS) Police in New York suburbs have announced the arrested of a gang of illegal immigrants from Colombia targeting Indian-origin people and striking fear in the community.
In Hicksville and New Hyde Park, the gang of four would pretend to be public utility workers and follow Indians to their homes to rob them, police in Nassau County adjoining New York City on Long Island said on Wednesday.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a news conference: "They would watch those coming out of the Patel store or the jewellery store or getting their nails done. They follow them to their residence" and rob them.
Indian-origin people across the US have often been targets of robbers because they are believed to have lots of jewellery.
The four, who had been under surveillance, were caught in another suburb, New Hyde Park, where they had targeted a house after following a woman, police said.
When they tried to pry open a door, the glass broke and a woman inside screamed causing them to try to flee and they were caught by the police surveillance team, Ryder said.
He said that they had an AK-47 automatic rifle, which they had stashed across from the house.
A neighbour, Anita Ramolia told WCBS TV that she saw the police action when she was out walking her dog.
"It's scary. I mean, I'm home and it's constantly on my mind," she told the station.
Another neighbour, Tejal Patel, said: "It happened two blocks from my house, 5 o'clock in morning. It is really terrifying", the station reported.
The station quoted police as saying that 20 to 30 per cent of cases in the area with a similar pattern were likely linked to the four.
According to police, they had entered the US through the border in Arizona, California, and Texas.
Nassau County's top election official, a Republican, slammed the immigration policy of the federal government at the news conference.
County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, "These individuals should never have been allowed to make their way into the United States. They were caught at the border and rather than be detained, they were let go."
Mohammed Kashif in Hicksville told WCBS TV, "The law has to be in place for these guys. It has to be a little more strict so they feel the pain."
During Imran Khan’s tenure as prime minister, the Pakistani military has retained the dominant influence over foreign and security policies of the country, according to a US Congressional report.
Pakistan has successfully conducted a training launch of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
Russian envoy Nikolay Kudashev said India's decision on Jammu and Kashmir was in accordance with the country's Constitution and Moscow is totally backing its close ally on the issue.
Pakistan Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari has written a detailed letter to 18 UN Special Rapporteurs alleging massive human rights violations by India in Jammu and Kashmir, after it revoked its special status, which she termed as "an annexation by force and therefore an illegal act".
Continuing his attack on India in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Wednesday that he feels that a full-fledged war will be fought between India and Pakistan in October or November this year.
