Highlights
- Police say burglars deliberately picked South Asian homes, expecting gold and jewellery.
- Clirim Ferizi and Oresti Saliaj were jailed for a combined five years and six months.
- Oyster card data placed the pair at the scene of each burglary.
- It is one of three Met investigations into gangs targeting South Asian households.
- A Rolex, gold earrings and an antique diamond ring were among the items stolen.
CRIMINALS deliberately singled out homes belonging to south Asian families in London, expecting to find gold and jewellery, the Metropolitan Police has said, after two more burglars were jailed.
Clirim Ferizi, 26, and Oresti Saliaj, 40, have been sentenced to a combined five years and six months. Detectives used Oyster card travel data to link them to a series of burglaries in which more than £8,000 worth of items were stolen.
“The investigation found they had deliberately targeted homes belonging to South Asian families, believing they would find high-value jewellery and valuables,” the Met said.
The items taken included a Rolex watch worth £7,000, gold earrings worth £1,500 and an antique gold and diamond ring worth £1,200.
The case is one of three investigations the Met has highlighted in which offenders chose their victims in the same way.
In January, south Asian households in Hayes, west London, were targeted over eight days. Hetaj Dionis, 35, and Arben Cuka, 31, were linked to the offences through doorbell footage, CCTV, phone data and travel records. They were jailed for a combined five years at Isleworth Crown Court in April.
Hetaj Dionis, Arben CukaMet Police
In a separate Flying Squad investigation, Patrick Doherty, 24, of Ferry Lane, Haringey, was identified as a member of an organised crime group. Police say the group targeted South Asian households across London and the surrounding counties over several months.
Officers arrested the group within minutes of a break-in in south-west London. Doherty was jailed for three years and nine months at Kingston Crown Court in June.
How the burglars were caught
The Met began investigating after a burglary in Ruislip in February. Through CCTV, forensic evidence and analysis of phone and Oyster card data, officers linked Ferizi and Saliaj to several other burglaries.
Patrick Doherty,Met Police
The pair were arrested on March 23. Officers then found their Oyster cards, which gave a timestamped record of their movements during and after each burglary and backed up the CCTV evidence. Ferizi’s debit card showed he had topped up his Oyster card at Ruislip station, placing both men in the area at the time.
Ferizi was also arrested for possession of class A drugs. He was sentenced to two years at Isleworth Crown Court. Saliaj had earlier received three years and six months.
“These offenders deliberately targeted families in their own homes, causing emotional distress and fear to their victims,” said detective sergeant Ross Smith.
“We know burglary has a lasting impact on victims, and we’re committed to pursuing offenders and bringing them to justice.”
The Met said burglary across London has fallen by 6 per cent over the past year, which it credits to more patrols and targeted action.
