A 27-year-old man has been charged in connection with a series of break-ins in Surrey and Burnaby last month.
Gia Duong faces seven charges of break and enter, one charge of robbery, two charges of possession of stolen property, one charge of trafficking in stolen property, one charge of unauthorized use of a credit card and one charge of dealing with an identity document without lawful excuse.
The charges all stem from break-ins between Oct. 28 and Nov. 9, including two in Burnaby on Nov. 1 and 3, according to court services online.
Surrey RCMP said the investigation that led to the charges was sparked by a Nov. 2 report of a break-in at a residence in the 10100-block of 144A Street in Surrey.
Investigators soon discovered there were other break-ins the area with “similarities,” according to a Surrey RCMP news release.
Surrey RCMP told the NOW that jewelry stolen during one of two break-ins in Metrotown was flagged in the regional automated property identification database, into which pawnshops and secondhand stores are required to enter the details of each transaction daily.
The searchable database automatically compares serial numbers against police databases to identify hits on stolen property.
During the second break-in in Metrotown nothing was stolen because someone was home, according to Surrey RCMP Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha.
“I think that spooked the person, and they left without stealing anything,” she said.
Duong has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 9.
His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 27.
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