Indian and South Asian families in several towns in Massachusetts, United States, are being increasingly targeted by thieves for expensive jewellery, a report by CBS News said. According to the report, towns such as Billerica, Natick, Weston, Wellesley, Easton, and North Attleboro face higher instances of the crime.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the thieves are sophisticated, and enter homes where they know homeowners are away for a period of time. "These are opportunity crimes, they are targeted in the sense where they expect to be able to do it successfully and make going to the house a productive crime," Ryan told WBZ-TV.

One such incident was reported in Lincoln resident Samir Desai's residence, where the thief entered through a second-floor window that had no alarms while the family travelled for ten days in early July. In a Facebook post, Desai said the thieves have trashed his house and looted jewellery, wallets, and other items.

"When a community whether it is Indian or otherwise gets targeted by a gang or anything else, the state has a responsibility and I believe they should step up," Desai said adding that he wants to galvanize Indian and South Asian communities and advice them to protect themselves. A report by Shillong Times quoted that similar incidents have been reported in the past targeting Asian American communities for jewellery. The report added that the community has expressed concern and urged the authorities to take action.