A family from Hounslow have been devastated after their car was broken into at Tesco’s car park in Twickenham.

Umesh Pasricha and Bhavisha Pasricha, were shopping in Tesco on Mogden Lane with their five-year-old son and Bhavisha’s sister on Monday evening (January 14).

They had parked their Jeep Grand Cherokee in the car park, like many customers. However, when they returned they discovered that the window of the car’s boot had been broken into and thieves had stolen several valuables.

They spoke to the manager at Tesco, who informed them that a similar incident had happened a week before to the owner of a Land Rover.

Mrs Pasricha said: “It feels like we have been targeted. We had a young child with us and to find the car broken into is very scary.

“I spoke to customer services yesterday (January 15) and was told that the car is parked at our own risk. But if this is something that has happened multiple times, shouldn’t they at least warn customers?”

Her sister, who wishes not to be named, said: “They stole all our valuables, so many people leave things in the boot of their car when parked.

“The manager at Tesco told us that the only CCTV they have is near the entrance and they have seen a group of people in balaclavas drive in.

“They apparently target expensive cars and use a special light to see what is in the boot, then break the window.

“Shouldn’t they do something about this? The police nor Tesco have not been helpful at all.”

The incident was reported to police, who have assessed the evidence available and closed the investigation.

Since publishing the story, another resident contacted the Richmond and Twickenham Times after experiencing a similar crime on December 18. 

Laura Samuels and her husband were shopping in Tesco's just before Christmas. 

They came to find that their new Audi Q7 was targetted, with the boot window broken and the contents were stolen. 

Mrs Samuels said: "My husband had his work briefcase in the boot with his Mac and some hard drives in it.

"They stole the bag and left the care in a right mess. 

My husband reported this to the police straight away but they did not attend and Tesco’s didn’t seem bothered."

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We were very sorry to hear that Ms Pasricha's car was broken into. We take security in our car parks very seriously and we are working together with the police to support their investigation into this incident.”