Investigators weren't talking on Thursday night, but ABC7 News was able to confirm what could be a major break in the case. Six people were detained at SFO Thursday afternoon as they were getting ready to board a plane bound for Hong Kong.
Police inspectors went to the airport to question them in connection with a scheme targeting older Chinese women. That investigation has been going on since March.
In April police released sketches of six suspects, Cantonese-speaking women in their 40s. Police say they approached their victims when they were out walking alone. The suspects convinced the victims to give them their jewelry for purification, investigators estimated they'd gotten about $100,000 worth by late April.
The victims also paid between $2,000 and $15,000 for jewelry worth only about $10. There had been at least 21 victims all across the city by late April, though the suspects first focused on the Sunset District.
Police say they're working with Customs and Border Patrol which has its own, separate investigation as well. Police will not confirm if the people in question at the airport are still in custody and if so, where.
