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Team of burglars hit Carmel Valley homes

Posted at 11:14 PM, Aug 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-19 02:18:27-04

A Carmel Valley homeowner is warning others after a team of burglars broke into his home.

Police say the break-in happened on August 15 just before 1 p.m. near Greenwillow Lane and Derrydown Way.

Anil Keswani's security system captured one man knocking loudly on his front door for more than a minute making sure no one was home; the cameras then show him and two other people going around the back to break into the house through a second-story door.

"This is a brazen attempt," Keswani said. "This is a professional team."

Keswani says he was in Chicago attending to his father who was not doing well, and the thieves made a hard time worse.

"One of the things they stole was my grandmother's engagement ring which happened to be the ring that my dad had given me to take care of as he's passing away," he said.

Keswani says the thieves ignored posted signs about an alarm system and the security cameras in plain view. He did get alerts on his phone about activity outside his front door - but thought it was someone delivering a package.  Since he was busy with his family situation, he didn't check it right away.

The thieves also stole thousands of dollars' worth of his wife's wedding jewelry and designer purses. Security cameras captured the men carrying his safe out to the getaway car they parked in his driveway.

"After you start to catch your breath and get a moment, you feel this profound sense of violation," Keswani said. "Someone has really entered your sanctuary."

Keswani says the team tried breaking into the house across the street too.

"I want everyone out there to see this because there is going to be some 16-year-old boy or girl who when they open the door and see that gentleman there, we don't know whether he'll just force himself in or whether he'll walk away," he said. "We've got to catch these people."

Keswani's security video also captured the men driving up and down his street for an hour before they attempted to approach his house.

San Diego police describe the suspect who knocked on the door as an African American/Asian man wearing a light blue dress shirt with a blue tie and a blue lanyard. There is limited identifying information for the second and third suspects. The suspect vehicle is a 2017 white Honda Accord. The car had paper plates with red lettering.

Anyone with information should call the San Diego Police Department and reference case number 17-031485.