FAIRFAX, Va. - Three people have been charged for the gold burglaries in Fairfax County (web | news) that targeted religious statues and other items for months. The victims of those burglaries who felt violated and scared are speaking out.

Every single day since February 27, Deepti Gupta says she's been angry and frustrated. It's not because burglars broke into her home and ransacked her jewelry. Nor is it because they took off with 22-carat gold worth about $100,000.

Gupta says, ""It's not that, it's not that at all. It's the emotions and the sentiments that go along with these."

When she and her husband learned they weren't alone, that there were nearly two dozen other victims in Fairfax and Loudoun County (web | news) and that nearly all were of South Asian decent, they suspected they were victims of something bigger.

Raman Kumar shared, "Our initial reaction was it's a very organized, sophisticated group."

Now it seems they were right. Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Marshalls spotted an SUV in Centreville, carrying three people who fit the suspects' descriptions. Police say that two days later, police had enough evidence to charge them with felony crimes.

Police say 39-nine-year-old Francisco Gray, 27-year-old Dagoberto Soto-Ramirez and 33-year-old Melinda Soto, all from New York, face nine felony charges. Those charges include:

four counts of burglary

four counts of grand larceny

and one count of conspiracy to commit burglary

Police are expanding their investigation to other jurisdictions in at least one other state.

Kumar said Thursday, "I don't think this is the end, but I do think this is a start."

Gupta doesn't know whether police will be able to recover any of her family's gold. She does know she will be able to finally regain her own sense of peace.

"I'm going to get a good night sleep tonight, for the first time, yes," she said.

Fairfax County Police say they found a lap top computer, a GPS unit and a police scanner tuned to Fairfax County Police radio channels. They also say their suspects were about to hit another house before their arrest.

The three suspects are being held without bond in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

 

 

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