Shropshire Star

Family feel unsafe in their Shrewsbury home after gang 'targets' house and steals jewellery

A family that run a popular takeaway say they have been left feeling unsafe in their own home after criminals broke in and stole jewellery worth around £30,000.

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CCTV shot by the Sabith family following last week's break-in

The Sabith family moved to Wingfield Close in the Ditherington area of Shrewsbury from Birmingham last year.

But the family now say they have been left scared of being in their Shropshire home after thieves targeted it while they were at work.

Suhrabil Sabith, 23, who lives at the address with his brother, sister-in-law, sister and parents, said the criminals struck last Wednesday at around 7pm.

He said: "The police believe they had been following our movements so knew exactly what our whereabouts were and when we go to work every evening. We run the Ganges Indian Takeaway so we were all out at work when it happened. The police believe it was a criminal gang.

CCTV shot by the Sabith family following last week's break-in

"My mum is normally at home but thankfully she was not there on this occasion, as we don't know what would have happened to her if she had have been.

"We have only lived here a year after moving from Birmingham and our neighbours have said there had not been a burglary in the street for years."

Some of the gold stolen in the raid
Gold taken by thieves

The family have CCTV footage of the thieves both entering and leaving the property.

"They came through the garden from the back," added Suhrabil. "There were four of them and they spent around 45 minutes in our house.

"There was a van parked outside that evening that we had never been there before, which was unusual in that it had tinted windows, and we think it could have been theirs but we think some of them may have left in a new model white Ford as we saw it on CCTV just after they left."

A braeley stolen by thieves in Ditherington
A ring was also stolen

He said, as well as ransacking the house, the burglars stole around £30,000 worth of jewellery that was in the home due to a recent family wedding.

"My older brother got married recently and his wife's gold and jewellery were in the house and they took it all, probably about £25-30,000 worth, along with other possessions.

"They also tipped everything upside down. Moved the beds and wardrobes. We had wooden cupboards and they ripped those down.

Some of the gold jewellery stolen last week

"We just want to let people know in the area what has happened because it seems planned and we feel very unsafe now and we feel scared in our own home."

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said enquiries into the burglary were "ongoing".

However, the force is also warning people to take extra care of their family gold following two similar incidents in Worcester over the weekend and on Monday morning.

The first burglary was reported to West Mercia Police on Sunday at around 11.20pm, after a house in Fernhill Heath area of the city was broken in to and cash was stolen. The second report was received around 12.30am on Monday morning, where another property in Worcester was broken into and a large quantity of gold jewellery was taken.

Detective Inspector Dave Knight of West Mercia Police said: "It is not uncommon for offenders who commit this type of crime to visit the location of properties beforehand and then return sometime later to carry out the theft. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour in your area.

"It is extremely important that when you are not wearing your jewellery you keep it in a safe location, ideally a locked safe or locked drawer, and to keep your home as secure as possible."