Two Indian-origin persons among five people charged with carrying out robbery in US

New York: Two Indian-origin persons are among five people charged in the US with carrying out a robbery at gunpoint at the home of a small business owner in front of his young children.

Bhupinderjit Singh, 26, Divya Kumari, 26, Elijaih Roman, 22, Corey Hall, 45 and Erik Suarez, 24, were charged with perpetrating a gun-point home invasion robbery in Orange County, New York.  The defendants have been arrested and presented in White Plains federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik, a statement issued this week by the US Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York said.

They were all charged with one count of robbery conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  Singh, Roman, Hall, and Suarez are additionally charged with one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Edward Kim said that Singh and his co-defendants allegedly planned and executed a violent robbery, during which four children watched as their parents were zip-tied and held at gunpoint while four men ransacked their home looking for money and valuables.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Dennehy said that the five defendants participated in a robbery in which a firearm was brandished to gain unauthorized entry into a family’s home and steal valuable jewellery and thousands of dollars.  “This alleged forceful intrusion violated the privacy and security expected inside one’s home, and terrorised four young children left to helplessly beg for the safety of their restrained parents,” Dennehy said.

According to the complaint filed in federal court, the five individuals perpetrated the gun-point home invasion robbery in the vicinity of the Town of Wallkill, New York around December 1, 2024.  When they arrived at the house, Singh, Roman, Hall and Suarez forced the homeowner and his 10-year-old daughter into the house at gunpoint.  The victim’s wife was sitting with the couple’s other three children, who ranged from approximately two to nine years old. The defendants then zip-tied the hands and legs of the husband and wife and placed the couple on the couch next to their children.

Three of the four robbers then began to search throughout the house, while the fourth robber remained with the victim and his family, armed with what appeared to be a small black pistol, authorities said.  At one point, the homeowner’s daughter begged the robbers not to hurt her parents and indicated that she would tell them where the family stored their valuables.  When the young girl was unable to get a safe open, the robbers forced her mother to come with them instead and got her to open the safe. The robbers took numerous pieces of jewellery and approximately $10,000 in US currency from the safe.

While the robbery was ongoing, Kumari was waiting in the vicinity of the victim’s house to act as a lookout. Eventually, they left the house with various stolen items, including the jewellery and U.S. currency stolen from the safe.