(NationRise.com) – Authorities have issued a dire warning to religious parishioners as Romanian organized criminal mobs target US religious institutions in broad daylight.
The warning comes after members of the Romanian Organized Crime Group, who refer to themselves by the shorthand ROMAs,” targeted a total of five Buddhist, Islamic, and Hindu religious institutions in or near Washington, DC. All five were burglarized in the middle of the day with complete disregard for security cameras.
The international crime group also targeted seven other religious institutions in the area during 2023. Police arrested several suspects, but many more remain on the loose. Andrew Suh with the Montgomery County Police noted that ROMA members don’t actually try to hurt people. Instead, they commit property crimes while searching for cash and jewelry across the US. He also said they aren’t considered hate crimes but crimes of opportunity.
However, footage captured from a Buddhist temple shows several ROMAs rob the place while dozens of occupants were gathered for a funeral. They left shortly after with a safe containing around $20,000 that had been donated to the victim’s family.
Suh said his department arrested two young men, who were brothers aged 23 and 18, associated with the group last month. Evidence collected from their home confirmed their involvement in the crimes. However, he noted that while no robberies have occurred since then, detaining members and attempting to stop their criminal acts is like “cutting the heads of a hydra.” They were released on a $10,000 bond.
Officials have also noted incidents in California involving members of the Romanian Mafia. Several pretended to panhandle outside retail stores so that they could use wireless skimmers to steal credit card information from customers using self-checkout kiosks. The skimmers fit easily over credit card readers and are designed to blend in perfectly. They transmit data via a Bluetooth connection. Consumer advocates recommend pulling the top of the card reader first to see if a skimmer has been placed over the top. Some retailers also place stickers over the top of their readers that will be obscured by a skimmer. However, that won’t always be the case.
Copyright 2024, NationRise.com
