GEORGIA, U.S., October 18, 2019 (Forsyth News): Three Romanian nationals implicated in a multi-state conspiracy to steal gold and other valuables from Hindu and Buddhist places of worship have now been charged in Forsyth County for a related theft that allegedly occurred in May. Valer Iazmin Varga, 28, Robert-Auras Adam, 31, and Ana-Lordana Adam, 30, were indicted by a Forsyth County Grand Jury on Monday, Oct. 14, on one count of felony theft for allegedly stealing gold necklaces worth more than $15,000 from a south Forsyth Hindu temple earlier this year, according to court documents. In May the suspects allegedly stole $15,000 in jewelry from Sri Maha Lakshmi Temple on Peachtree Parkway in south Forsyth. While the two male suspects distracted priests, a female suspect allegedly stole 10 gold chains off the temple’s statutes, according to authorities.
In September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced that the group had been brought up on federal charges for allegedly traveling to Hindu and Buddhist places of worship in at least six states to commit thefts of gold jewelry and cash. “It is deeply troubling and hard to fathom that criminals would exploit the tenets of one’s faith by taking advantage of their kindness,” Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a Department of Justice press release. “Even though these suspects are alleged to have travelled from state to state to commit these crimes, they were not able to elude arrest, thanks to our partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in six different states.”