Screengrab of video footage showing the attack. The assailant can be seen here.
Credit: Facebook/Priyanka Wali
In Orange County, California, an Indian-origin couple recently suffered a significant loss when they were robbed of 'priceless' ancestral jewellery just outside their residence. This incident occurred after they were followed from a jewellery store, located over 25 km away, as per family statements and various media reports.
The couple, Dr Vijay Wali and Dr Jyotika Wali, were ambushed by two individuals last Friday as they arrived at their home. The alarming episode was captured by their home security system and shared by their daughter through Facebook posts.
Surveillance video from their Ring device captured a portion of the incident, showing Vijay being forcefully pushed to the ground in his driveway during an altercation with one of the suspects.
NBC News reported Vijay's account of the incident, where he described removing items from his car's trunk while his wife was on the verge of entering their house. At that moment, one of the assailants attacked him. He recalled yelling to his wife to secure the door before he was struck on the head. As Jyotika attempted to assist her husband, she too was attacked and robbed.
Describing her experience to the media, Jyotika said, “I was immediately attacked by another man, and my purse was taken, and I saw my husband had been assaulted, and I screamed for help."
Dr Priyanka Wali, the couple’s daughter, detailed in a Facebook post that one robber instructed his accomplice in Spanish to grab her mother's purse.
The robbers had been following the Walis for a considerable distance, even as they made several stops, including one at Jyotika’s workplace, NBC News detailed. Priyanka mentioned that the chase spanned approximately 16 miles.
Priyanka's post also highlighted the extent of the crime, noting, “There were at least two cars present and multiple people involved in this Southern California organized crime”
The stolen items included various family heirlooms, specifically dejhoor, which are traditional long earrings worn by Kashmiri Hindu brides before their weddings. ABC 7 Los Angeles reported Priyanka's words, “They took my dejhoor, my mother’s and my grandmother’s. I mean, that’s ancestral jewelry that’s been in our family for so long and it’s priceless. That’s really the most important thing that we want back.”
The Fullerton Police Department has confirmed to KTLA that they are investigating the robbery, though no additional details were provided.
The exact monetary value of the stolen jewellery is unknown, and there have been no arrests in connection with the incident.
Reflecting on the traumatic event, Vijay expressed to ABC 7 LA, “I am still shaking. It is nerve-racking and it should not happen to anybody."
(Disclaimer: This article has been written by a generative AI tool and has been edited and reviewed by the DH Web Desk.)