Heat map shows more than 30 Surrey burglaries since July by organised gang targeting Asian families' gold

A gang of brutal gold thieves has plundered homes - mainly owned by Asians - in more than 30 burglaries in Surrey since July, as this 'heat map' issued today by police reveals.

The map shows just how concentrated the high-value thefts have been since Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased. 

Many of the victims have South Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) heritage, as these communities sometimes hold gold for cultural reasons, according to police. 

Detectives said that a gang of 'organised' criminals was working in the Surrey area and warned people who had gold stored in their homes to take extra precautions amid the threat of more raids.

A gang of brutal gold thieves has plundered homes - mainly owned by Asians - in more than 30 burglaries in Surrey since July, as this 'heat map' issued today by police reveals

The thieves - usually operating in teams of three or four - are targeting high value, high purity gold, and have stolen wedding jewellery and priceless family heirlooms. (File image of homes in Surrey)

The burglars usually operate in teams of three or four and have been ransacking properties - unafraid of being seen and threatening homeowners when disturbed. 

They are targeting high value, high purity gold, and have stolen wedding jewellery and priceless family heirlooms. 

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: 'We believe around 30 burglaries and attempted burglaries since July 2020 may be connected to one or more organised criminal groups operating across the UK.

'Some of the pieces taken were wedding jewellery, or heirlooms handed down through generations, with great sentimental value.  Many of the victims held gold and jewellery in place of life savings and some had not been able to insure them.'

MasterChef star's home targeted by burglars

MasterChef star Marcus Wareing's £7m London mansion was raided by a team of 'burglary tourists' who jetted in from Chile and took his watch collection including his prized gold Rolex and his wife's Louboutin shoes.

The Michelin-starred restaurateur's Wimbledon home was broken into in October 2019 by a South American gang who sprayed an orange spot on his fence to mark their target.

Mr Wareing was at his second home in Kent with his wife Jane when Danko Carvajal-Donaire, 20, Claudio Donoso, 20, Nicolas Portilla Astorga, 27, and Jorge Rojas, 22, smashed their way in through the six-bedroom property's patio doors and grabbed £33,000 of valuables from their bedroom.

The £7m London home of MasterChef star Marcus Wareing was raided by 'burglary tourists' who jetted in from Chile

Only this small pendant was later recovered

The Chileans took his gold Rolex, a pair of Omega watches worth £12,000, and a watch engraved with 'Hell's Kitchen' - a curious nod to Mr Wareing's mentor Gordon Ramsay who he fell out with, the Evening Standard reported.

Jane Wareing's valuable bracelets, earrings and gold chains, a £1,500 Cartier watch, £520 Louboutin shoes and a locket with pictures of her beloved father were also stolen.

The thieves were arrested days later on their way to burgle another London property. Only a small pendant has been recovered. The four men were jailed for three years and four months each.

Detective Superintendent Wendy Whiting said: 'These despicable individuals will literally ransack properties - pulling off bath panels, ripping up floorboards and turning over lofts if they believe there is gold hidden in the house. 

'Unlike many burglars, they are not shy of being seen - if disturbed they may threaten the occupants rather than immediately fleeing.

'Today Surrey Police is releasing a heat map of these burglaries since July 1, to show how widespread the problem is. Although there has been a focus on Spelthorne in the north of Surrey, people across the county need to be aware of the risk and take steps now to protect their property.

'Many of the victims have South Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) heritage, as these communities sometimes hold gold for cultural reasons; but we are also seeing victims from other communities. 

'The common link is that they are being targeted because of the amount of jewellery they have in their home. 

'We are asking anyone who has large amounts of gold or jewellery to store your valuables securely in a safety deposit box or bank vault.

'If you have to keep gold at home, install a safe that meets British Standard EN 1143-1 and the police recognised "Secured By Design" standards. 

'The safe needs to be securely attached to the building (ideally bolted to, or embedded in, a solid concrete floor).

'Add other security measures such as CCTV, alarms and security marking your jewellery with a forensic marking product. 

'Don't advertise your jewellery or when you are away, online - don't post photos of your jewellery on social media and be careful mentioning holidays or extended absences from home.

'When wearing jewellery for a special event, keep it covered until you are indoors and with people you trust. 

'During Navratri (which ended on Sunday) and Diwali, avoid decorating the outside of your house or car with religious or celebration symbols (flags, lights or other emblems) as these can advertise to thieves that you may have gold present.

'It is possible that thieves may be following expensive cars from workplaces, restaurants or places of worship. 

'They may even be tracking them with GPS devices. Try to park your vehicle in a secure area, or vary where you park,' she said. 

'The thieves must be either following the occupants; possibly home from temple or celebration events; or they are carrying out reconnaissance on the homes before they strike. 

'We believe that the burglary teams are travelling to their targets in a single car, and often park directly opposite or right outside, so please be vigilant - especially if the car has more than one occupant. 

'If you suspect a vehicle or individuals either in your area, or following someone, we need to know about it promptly. 

'You can message us 24/7 through the website www.surrey.police.uk; or via Facebook or Twitter; or you can call us on 101. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.'

How 'burglary tourists' from South America jet in and out of London in just two days after raiding as many mansions as possible

Colombian mother-of-two Claudia Santos, 40, helped mastermind as many as 800 burglaries targeting Asian families across Britain

South American gangs of burglars have targeted hundreds if not thousands of homes in the UK over the past decade with at least 100 thieves a year coming to the UK to raid mansions.

Police launched Operation Genire to target the gang flying burglars into UK from Chile.

The probe was launched with the help of the Chilean Embassy after a spate of break-ins in south-west London and Surrey in 2017.

Luxury items worth more than £1m were stolen by the thieves who targeted hundreds of homes then shipped some of the goods out of the country – often within days of their arrival in the UK.

They carefully picked homes that were empty or on the edges of parks or golf courses to ensure a quick getaway.

Previously Scotland Yard launched Operation Phoenix,to target another South American operation. 

That group were largely focused on gold burglaries of Asian families, with hundreds high value jewellery snatches of up to £300,000 each. 

Colombian mother-of-two Claudia Santos, 40, helped mastermind as many as 800 burglaries. 

Many of the offenders were from Colombia or Chile and falsely claimed to be Mexican and Guatemalan and were entering the UK using bogus passports, mainly from Mexico. 

The suspects then flew to Europe and entered the UK via the Eurostar into London.

They based themselves within Hispanic communities in the London boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth and initially all the thefts took place within the capital. Police said they were 'extremely organised with all offences premeditated, researched and highly sophisticated'.

On arrival in the UK, the suspects were often taken to safe houses and then introduced to a life of crime.

Organisers within the group arranged for them to have access to second-hand vehicles registered to false names with fraudulently obtained insurance. This allowed the gang to travel around the UK and commit crime without fear of being stopped by police.

There had been a dramatic increase in Asian gold burglaries that could be linked to this group with Asian communities such as those in Crawley, Slough and Northampton being specifically targeted. 

Police soon realised that smashing the gangs would need to involve close collaboration and intelligence-sharing between other law enforcement agencies including Home Office Immigration Enforcement, UK Border Force, the National Crime Agency and ACPO Criminal Records Office

They also worked closely with the Mexican and Colombian Embassies as the majority of the offenders were believed to be of Colombian origin and staff fully co-operated to provide crucial information.

Working with the UK's immigration enforcement representative in Bogota, officers were able to share information with the Colombian National Registry Office and forge contacts with the Colombian National Crime Bureau. With the help of the NCA and ACRO, fingerprints of suspects in custody in the UK were sent to be checked against their national register. This confirmed the offenders' true Colombian identities and any previous convictions.

This process identified around 150 Colombian suspects who had entered the UK using false names, many with serious previous convictions back home for aggravated theft, drugs and violence.

The Met also set up Operation Genie after a spate of burglaries in 2017, suspecting that South American gangs were again behind the burglaries.