JEWELLERY valued at £200,000 stolen from an Asian family in Rushey Platt has prompted an international investigation into large family groups stealing gold and high value vehicles across the south west.

Ten people between the ages of 15 and 39, including a 16-year-old from Trowbridge, have now been arrested after the expensive cars were tracked down to Dunstable and Stockholm.

Police believe the groups have been targeting Asian families after problems with access to safety deposit boxes led them to store thousands of pounds worth of precious metals around their homes.

It is thought the metals are being melted down and sold due to the high price of gold.

There have been a series of burglaries at homes in Swindon in recent months, including incidents at two homes in Rushey Platt on February 27 and March 14.

The discovery of an Audi A6 in Stockholm with a number of false registration plates inside seemed to link the vehicle to the Swindon burglaries.

All five occupants were arrested for being carried in a stolen vehicle and questioned in relation to their involvement in the burglaries.

The Trowbridge teenager has since returned to the UK and has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods. He has been released on bail until August with conditions to not enter certain parts of Swindon.

The whereabouts of the four others involved, aged 17, 19, 23 and 24, is currently being traced.

DC Claire Smith, of Wiltshire Police, said the wide-reaching investigation, including Interpol, Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire and Thames Valley Police, was sparked by the theft of a Mercedes from Swindon.

“The Mercedes was recovered in April and the five males inside were arrested, who we believe are linked toburglaries across the south eastern counties,” she said.

“We are liasing with other forces and can’t be sure of the number of burglaries committed, but we are looking at well into double figures.”

The five males found in the Mercedes, aged 15, from Bedfordshire, 24 from Wrexham, 36 from Bedfordshire, 39 from Oxfordshire, aged 39 from the West Midlands, have since been released on bail until July with conditions to not enter Wiltshire or Buckinghamshire during this time.

Police believe houses are being scoped out by groups of families, who will park out of sight before forcing entry once they know their target.

“We now know a little bit more about how these burglaries are being committed,” added DC Smith.

“We think they are scoping addresses within a couple of weeks before they go in. They seem to knock on the door and on the same day they will break in to the address. We believe they are parking in nearby streets and walking to the address.

“Banks have closed down safety deposit box availability in recent months. So the Asian community has been keeping jewellery at home, often high value wedding gifts," said DC Smith.

“We would want people to go to the banks and put jewellery in safety deposit boxes, but if that is not possible to make sure they are secure at home and not left in a bedside drawer at home.

“Many of these burglaries have seen between £50,000 and £150,000 worth of gold jewellery taken. In one of the offences in Rushey Platt, £200,000 worth of gold has been taken. We are easily talking hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“We have been working with our serious crime team and three other forces including the MET interceptor team, who have been working with us in intercepting the stolen vehicles.

“Names and vehicle descriptions are coming forward, but relating to those we already know about, and we are dealing with a number of large family groups at the moment.

“What we want is anybody who has seen suspicious, high value vehicles with a number of males inside.”

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. where information can be left anonymously if preferred.