Manchester (News Desk) – A shocking incident has been brought to light as Greater Manchester Police (GMP) releases nanny-cam footage capturing the moment when Asian gold burglars ransacked a family’s home while they were away on a pilgrimage. The chilling video is part of a campaign by GMP to tackle a surge in burglaries targeting Asian communities ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
The footage shows masked and gloved thieves, one armed with a long screwdriver, casually roaming the house, going up and down the stairs, and rummaging through the home’s belongings, all while a sign reading “home sweet home” hangs in the background.
The homeowners, who have chosen to remain anonymous, were on their way back from a pilgrimage to Mecca when they accessed the live feed from their home camera app, initially believing they were witnessing the burglary in real-time. To their horror, they soon realized that the footage they were watching was a recording from hours earlier, and the thieves had already struck.
“I thought it was live. It was scary, honestly, seeing a stranger walking through the house and going through the drawers. It was horrifying,” one family member recounted.
Upon landing at Manchester Airport and returning to their home in Rochdale, the family found that a neighbour had already alerted the police. The scene that greeted them was one of utter disarray, with drawers emptied, cupboards and cabinets ransacked, and belongings strewn about, suggesting the burglars were meticulously searching for valuables.
“Everything was upside down, all the drawers had been turned out, and the cupboards and cabinets had been opened. Everything was inside out and all over the place. They were clearly looking for something,” the family member described.
While no gold or other high-value items were taken, the burglars did make off with the two nanny-cams that had captured the footage, leading the family to speculate that the thieves may have been after car keys, as they had recently purchased a BMW.
GMP believes that the home was likely targeted for gold, as Asian households are culturally more likely to possess high-purity gold passed down through generations, making them attractive targets for burglars.
In response to the surge in burglaries during the Ramadan period, when Muslim families often travel to visit relatives, leaving their homes vulnerable, GMP has increased patrols in Asian areas of Oldham and Rochdale. Additionally, teams have been sent into communities to encourage households to improve home security measures, such as closing doors and windows when away.
“This kind of crime is a constant throughout the year, but there are spikes within the year, particularly when we come up to the holy month of Ramadan,” PC Mohammed Latif of GMP’s Rochdale burglary unit stated.
The family, still shaken by the violation of their home and sense of security, now lives in constant vigilance, checking doors and windows and being easily startled by the slightest noise, reliving the traumatic moment captured on their nanny cam.
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