A family’s wedding plans, generational treasures and peace of mind were shattered in Fullerton Friday night in what authorities are investigating as a home burglary.
An attacker punched emergency doctor Vijay Wali and threw him to the ground in front of his family home in an act he called “45 seconds of horror.” The incident occurred when he and his wife, Jyotika, were getting out of their white Tesla at 7:48 p.m., according to home security footage.
Another thief then stole Jyotika Wali’s cash, cell phone, purse and an additional bag containing family heirlooms. The items included a dejhoor, a traditional Hindu jewelery piece from Kashmir, made of gold and studded with diamonds and rubies.
The dejhoor was one of three stolen traditional pieces that were meant to be worn by the Wali’s daughter, Priyanka, at her upcoming wedding.
“It was a nightmare and I thank God that neither my wife nor I were killed,” Vijay Wali said in a telephone interview with The Times. “I was glad that there was no visible gun and that we can talk about it today.”
Thieves stole a gold and jewel-encrusted dejhoor from Jyotika Wali during what authorities described as a follow-up burglary to her home in Fullerton on Friday night.
(Courtesy of Dr. Priyanka Wali)
Jyotika Wali, an internist, described the incident as “scary” and said that even trips to the supermarket now leave her filled with “fear of what might happen.”
The Fullerton Police Department would not confirm any details, citing an ongoing investigation.
Priyanka Wali, an internal medicine and obesity doctor, said neither of her parents suffered serious injuries. But her father has a “major abrasion” on his knee after ripping his pants during a fight with a suspect, and only recently regained his voice, which he lost while screaming, she said.
Priyanki Wali said her father is still deciding whether to undergo an MRI scan as he received a blow to the head.
Most of the damage, he said, was psychological.
The couple left their house that Friday afternoon to attend to household chores, including purchasing parts to restore the dejhoor, which they also hoped to have professionally cleaned. The three dejhoors belonged to Priyanki Wali, her mother and her maternal grandmother.
Vijay Wali and his wife arrived too late at a Little India jewelry store to perform that task and left Artesia at 6:54 p.m., according to surveillance footage from a local store.
However, the couple did not take their normal route home, as Vijay Wali said he initially drove towards Brea to a men’s suit store. However, halfway there he told his wife that he was “too tired” and decided to return home.
They pulled into the driveway at 7:57 p.m. Jyotika left the passenger seat and entered the family garage with her bag and another bag, while Vijay went to unload the trunk.
Surveillance footage shows two men arriving at the home on foot while an unknown number of suspects are inside a black Honda Odyssey and another vehicle, a white sedan, circling the block. The first man on surveillance is seen running towards Jyotika Wali.
The suspect then stole her purse and valuables and is seen fleeing the scene on surveillance footage.
While this was happening, Vijay Wali said he yelled at his wife “to close the garage and call 911.” He ran towards her before a second man tried to push him into the Tesla. During the melee, the suspect grabbed Wali, threw him to the ground and punched him in the head.
Priyanka Wali was inside the family home with her fiancé Asheesh Bhalla when she said she heard her father’s screams and then her mother’s “creepy, blood-curdling” scream, causing her to drop a cup of tea.
Priyanka Wali ran out and called the police, while Bhalla, a former deputy general counsel for the state of Nevada, jumped into his car and tried, unsuccessfully, to chase the fleeing vehicles.
Vijay Wali tried to track his wife’s stolen phone but was “disappointed” when he found the device lying in a neighbour’s garden.
Since the attack, Priyanka Wali decided to borrow her sister-in-law’s dejhoor for her wedding.
“This piece is so traditional and so rare that you can’t even find it in big cities in India,” he said. “I can’t believe anyone will take it and I hope the local pawn shops don’t buy them.”
He said he has been receiving therapy to help deal with the trauma of the robbery.
He also led his own investigation, obtaining surveillance footage from a jewelry store in Little India.
The footage shows a similar Odyssey following Wali’s Tesla out of the Little India shopping complex. She has also posted videos and photos on her Instagram account.
“Seeking justice through the judicial system is something we all need,” he said. “We want these guys to be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That will help us.”
