What was meant to be a week of celebration marking one of the most important cultural holidays of the year for a Malton family turned into a nightmare when thieves broke into their home in the middle of the day, stealing gold jewellery worth hundreds of thousands.
Security cameras captured the moment suspects approached the home just after 2:15 p.m. on April 14, forcing their way inside. The family says the thieves were in the house for less than two minutes, but in that short time, they managed to locate and steal roughly $150,000 in gold jewellery.
“As soon as I entered my bedroom, I realized it had been ransacked and all the valuables that I had in there had been taken,” Harmanpreet Kaur tells OMNI News.
“They took a pillow case, dumped it all in and went out the front door. It was broad daylight, there were plenty of people on the street, but the way they did it, it’s almost like there’s no fear of law, there is no fear of any consequences.”
At the time of the break-in, no one was home. The family were out celebrating Vaisakhi at their local temple, one of the most significant holidays in their community. But for this family, the celebration quickly turned into heartbreak.
“Very insecure living in our own house,” said Harshdeep Singh. “Looking at every car passing by and every stranger passing by the house, and just being suspicious. We’re not even safe in our own house.”
Kaur says she called the police, but because it was considered a non-urgent matter, the family had to wait hours until the authorities arrived.
“Those six hours were scary. To think that someone had been inside the house, that feeling does not go away. Knowing that someone has been in this space, knowing someone violated your privacy with such ease.”
For the family, the loss goes far beyond the dollar value. It has become a generational loss, and in what should have been another milestone moment, there’s a bittersweet note. Harshdeep Singh, the wife’s brother, officially became a Canadian citizen on Friday.
“It’s generational things,” explained Kaur. “There were more than 40 to 50 pieces if you were to combine everything. It’s small little things for children, it’s passed onto us by our parents, by our grandparents. From what we were told, young Indian families or South Asian families can be targeted because it’s a known fact that we hold on to these things, so if anyone is hearing this, they should take a lesson from this.”
Police have not released suspect descriptions at this time, but say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Peel Regional Police.
