A woman in Queens said she was grabbed off the street, taken into a van, and robbed while she was on her way home from temple in Richmond Hill.
“The guy on the front said, ‘If you speak, we’re going to kill you,’” said the woman, who would only be identified as Mrs. Kaur because she’s scared for her life.
She is visiting Queens to see her husband, who lives in Richmond Hill. She lives in India.
What You Need To Know
- Community leaders say this marks six attacks against the Sikh community within two months
- NYPD has made an arrest in one of those cases, which led to a 20-year-old charged in a hate crime
- In this latest case, the woman says she was robbed of $7,000 in jewelry
- She said she didn’t report the crime to police right away out of fear and because she doesn’t speak English well
Kaur said the attack happened last Thursday, when three people threw her into a van.
“I saw the gun so then I was more scared,” she said through a translator.
Kour said the trio stole $7,000 worth of jewelry, including items from her wedding.
She said the crime lasted maybe minutes, but has now scarred her for far longer.
“I don’t want to go out because I feel like they are going to kill me if I go out,” she said.
The Sikhs have long been a staple here in Richmond Hill.
Over the last few weeks, NY1 has reported on several attacks on members of the Sikh community in Richmond Hill.
Harpreet Singh Toor, a community organizer, said this is the sixth incident in less than two months.
“We want to let people know that hate is not acceptable,” he said.
NYPD has made one arrest in one of these cases, leading to a 20-year-old being charged with a hate crime.
He said he hears about people walking around, keeping their guard up, not sure if they’ll be targeted next.
“It is sad,” he said. “No doubt about it.”
No doubt about this either: Kour is now scared. Her visit from India to see her husband in America has been ruined as whoever she says attacked her is out there.
She said she did not report the crime to police at first because she was so afraid.
Community leaders said since she doesn’t speak English, she was nervous to come forward. They said it’s a problem they see unfortunately far too often.
