Asian gold thefts rise 2,000% in four years

Reported thefts of Asian gold have increased more than 2,000% across West Yorkshire over the last four years, police data shows.

A BBC Freedom of Information (FoI) request to West Yorkshire Police found £700,000 of valuables was reported stolen last year, with more than £500,000-worth taken so far in 2026.

Asian gold has a higher purity, making it more expensive and more appealing for thieves, especially with gold prices at an all-time high.

West Yorkshire Police said it had initiated a force-wide approach to tackle gold thefts and was working with community and faith groups to raise awareness.

Due to the cost-of-living crisis and the spike in gold rates, a small piece of gold jewellery can be worth hundreds of pounds.

Many South Asian women are gifted gold on their wedding days by family members.

The FOI request found last year 173 thefts of Asian gold were reported in West Yorkshire - up from just eight in 2022.

The request focused on all types of Asian gold theft, including burglaries at homes and jewellery shops.

Nearly 100 thefts have been reported as of April 2026.

About £50,000 of gold was stolen in 2022, but last year the figure stood at £737,022 and more than £500,000-worth has been stolen this year.

Maryam, not her real name, had the majority of her gold jewellery stolen when her home in Bradford was burgled in 2018.

About £15,000 of gold was stolen, but she said today it would have been worth about £25,000.

For Maryam, while losing the jewellery was devastating, she said the hardest part was losing the memories attached to it, as some of it belonged to her mother, who died shortly before the burglary.

She said: "It was like somebody stole my heart, somebody stole my soul.

"It was like I lost her all over again."

Maryam was at work when the burglary happened. Her husband, who had returned from collecting the children, found the house ransacked.

She said: "We sat for an hour, just looking at each other.

"We couldn't say anything. We called the police and they came two hours later."

Maryam said she felt the police did not do enough, saying a forensic report could not identify the criminals as they were wearing gloves.

In the days after the incident she visited jewellery shops in the area to see if her gold had appeared.

In a statement West Yorkshire Police said: "Thefts have been rising in recent years with the overwhelming majority of jewellery taken in domestic burglaries.

"As a result we have initiated a force-wide response to the issue with co-ordinated crime prevention work taking place.

"This has included work with faith and cultural groups and key community contacts to raise awareness of crime prevention measures, such as installing home safes.

"Police have also visited mosques around key times such as Eid to speak with worshippers to provide crime prevention advice."

At the Khidmat Centre in Bradford, a group of South Asian women spoke about what gold means to them.

Saima Inam, who moved from Pakistan to Bradford, was gifted gold at her wedding by her parents.

She said: "My mum gave it to secure my future.

"We save for a long time to buy the jewellery so when we have a hard time we can sell it."

She said she had become frightened to wear her jewellery due to the risk of theft.

Shaheen Hafeez, who was also at the community centre, said her ring "goes with her" wherever she goes as it was gifted to her by her late mother.

She said: "For me it's my most valuable thing, because my mum gave it to me. I wouldn't know how much it's worth."

Many of the women said they would be passing their gold down to the next generation.

Dr Sofia Buncy, a manager at the Khidmat Centre, said she had heard numerous stories about gold theft in the area.

The community centre has worked with West Yorkshire Police to raise awareness about the rise in thefts and has encouraged people to install safes at home.

She said: "It's very concerning, because there is sentimental value to much of that gold particularly within South Asian communities.

"People are concerned about wearing gold, once upon a time it was their pride and joy, it was special and something they enjoyed doing, but that might not be the case now.

"There is a silence around gold theft within the community at the moment and it shouldn't but it carries a layer of stigma and perhaps a layer of shame as well, where people are not always comfortable disclosing.

"But I think open conversation and the police playing their role in coming to community centres and spaces to speak about that is extremely important."

She highlighted how many victims of gold theft often struggled to speak of the impact due to the fear of shame attached to losing heritage and heirlooms.

Maryam called for laws to be introduced to ensure all jewellers carry out the same checks when buying gold.

She said: "It's really hurtful, it's not losing the gold, it's losing all the sentiments."