‘Burglary tourists’ targeting Indian Americans across US 

So-called “burglary tourists” are entering the United States from countries that qualify for visa waivers and joining sophisticated burglary rings that prey on luxury homes across the US, according to a media report.

Rama and Balakrishna Sundar, an Indian American couple in California, were among the victims of alleged “burglary tourists.” The burglars broke in through a bedroom window of their dream home overlooking the ocean in Dana Point, California last year, CNN reported.

“We want to move away from here and I don’t feel very secure at all,” Rama Sundar told CNN.

The burglars also took a sledgehammer to an elevator door, perhaps thinking a safe was behind it, Balakrishna Sundar told the news channel.

READ: Five burglars targeting Indian Americans in Seattle suburb arrested (April 1, 2024)

When the alarm company was notified, the burglars fled with nothing valuable. The suspects were Chilean nationals, and at least one of them was out on bail for another crime, according to a complaint filed in Orange County.

The Sundar family also questioned the level of urgency on this issue in Washington.

“I want a politician to go through this experience and he may feel exactly as I feel,” Balakrishna Sundar said.

“They’re supposed to help us,” his wife added. “It’s very annoying and disturbing.”

READ: Burglars targeting Indian Americans in Bothell, Washington (December 25, 2023)

CNN cited Orange County, California, prosecutors as saying the break-ins are part of a larger issue in which so-called “burglary tourists” enter the United States from countries that qualify for visa waivers, allowing a visit of up to 90 days without a traditional tourist visa.

When the suspects arrive – most often from South America, prosecutors say – they join sophisticated burglary rings that prey on luxury homes.

In some cases, the suspects “lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told CNN.

“They take advantage of the fact that most people don’t have window sensors or motion detectors on their second floors. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.”

Spitzer said the stolen goods are often sold quickly and the money is sent back to the suspect’s home country.

READ: Colombian burglary ring targeting Indian Americans busted (October 14, 2022)

Most often, that’s Chile, he said, which is now the only remaining South American country that qualifies for the Department of Homeland Security’s waiver program, known as the “Electronic System for Travel Authorization,” or ESTA.

The problem extends beyond California. Last month police in Scottsdale, Arizona, reported they arrested three Chilean nationals in connection with what authorities called a “burglary series” in the city, according to CNN.

Within the last year, police in Baltimore, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Nassau County, New York, were among those announcing arrests in cases of luxury home burglaries linked to Chilean nationals in the US on visa waivers.

While there is no formal tally of the number of crimes committed by “burglary tourists,” the number appears to be, at minimum, in the hundreds, according to CNN. Ventura County, California, alone attributed 175 residential burglaries to “transnational theft groups” between 2019 and mid-2023.

Spitzer, the district attorney, has been a vocal critic of Chile, claiming it isn’t releasing background information on those granted visa waivers, which hinders prosecution here in the US.

“If we don’t know the criminal background of these individuals … then we can’t tell the judge anything or represent anything about the background,” he said. “Which means the person is released on no bail and they never come back again to answer for the charges.”

In March, Spitzer sued the US State Department, demanding to see the details of a bilateral security agreement for preventing and combating serious crime that it signed with Chile in July.

“Where’s the proof in the pudding?” said Spitzer. “How come we’re not seeing a significant diminishment of these burglaries?”