BOTHELL, Wash. — Bothell police are investigating three robberies that targeted East Indian women wearing jewelry.
The robberies all happened in the Fred Meyer parking lot in the 20800 block of SR 527, in the city of Bothell. In each case, the victims had gold necklaces forcibly ripped from their necks.
The first robbery occurred on April 29. Since then, two more robberies have occurred, one on June 30 and another on July 19 that are similar in nature.
In each robbery, two or three black men were involved. The suspects appeared to find their victims in the store and then followed them to the parking lot. Once in the parking lot, one of the men would approach the victim from behind and then would rip a necklace or necklaces off her neck.
The man would then immediately flee in a waiting vehicle.
In each of the three incidents, the victims have suffered scrapes and bruises.
The store is just up the street from a Sikh Temple where Gurbax Kaur comes almost every day.
Kaur says it's part of the Indian culture to wear gold jewelry, but she and her three daughters rarely wear it out in public.
"We people only wear jewelry when there's Indian community gathering parties and functions," said Kaur.
Police say they don't want to tell people what to wear, but it's important for everyone to be alert.
Bothell police Sgt. Ken Seuberlich said similar robberies are happening in surrounding cities.
"I can tell you that we are not the only jurisdiction dealing with this kind of crime," said Seuberlich.
Bothell police plan to visit Sikh and Hindu temples in the area Thursday to warn the community about what's happening.
Police provided surveillance photos of the suspects who were involved with the June 30 and July 19 robberies.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the robberies to call the Bothell police tips line at (425) 487-5551.
Cox Media Group
