An Indian-origin family who recently moved into Cranbourne, Victoria, say they are fearful about returning home after the man accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold jewellery from their house was granted bail within a day.
Eklavya Datta told Cranbourne News he was “extremely disappointed” to learn that the suspect charged over the alleged theft of about $57,000 in gold had been released shortly after being taken into custody.
Police allegedly recovered some cash but not the missing gold.
Datta said the accused told investigators he had taken drugs and could not recall who the jewellery had been sold to.
“We are very disappointed that he got bail so easily despite the huge amount of gold he’s stolen.”
“We now feel unsafe. Police told us it was granted bail because it wasn’t a violent crime. They didn’t tell us whether he was our neighbour, whether he was from the area, or whether he was an outsider. They said they can’t deal with those details,” Datta added.
The alleged break-in occurred on Tuesday 3 February while the family was at work. The offender is accused of forcing open a rear sliding door and stealing Indian gold jewellery, bank cards, spare car keys and an old mobile phone.
“The police should give us information about where the man was from. Does he live with us? Is he a neighbour? Should we move to a better neighbourhood? We should have some basic information so we can make a decision.”
Datta said his wife began receiving transaction alerts shortly after midday, which traced card use to Cranbourne Shopping Centre. The family rushed home and discovered the house had been ransacked.
The family moved to the neighbourhood just two months ago and had not yet installed security cameras.
“We were told it’s a safe area,” Datta said, adding that many of the stolen gold items were ancestral pieces with significant sentimental value.
“That’s why my wife is emotionally traumatised by the incident.”
Victoria Police said that if an accused person has been granted bail and the matter is before the courts, they are unable to comment publicly. They added that privacy legislation prevents them from releasing details such as the accused’s suburb or specific bail conditions.
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