Grow rippers hit wrong home

If you think a marijuana growing operation in your neighbourhood won't cause you any problems, think again.

Early Monday at 2:10 a.m., a Richmond couple came to this realization when three to five masked and armed men broke into their house on the 9700 block of Odlin Drive and entered their bedroom.

The couple, a 35-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife, were bound and blindfolded, and the man was assaulted while being held at gunpoint.

According to the victims, the suspects were searching the house looking for a marijuana growing operation, but none was to be found.

Richmond RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen said it's likely the suspects targeted the wrong address.

Thiessen said police have information that there may indeed be a grow op in the same area as the house that was targeted.

But police don't currently have enough evidence to support a search warrant that would allow them to gain access to the house.

According to Thiessen, the bandits that broke into the Odlin Drive house made off with some property and fled in an unknown vehicle.

The husband suffered relatively minor injuries that required several stitches. His wife was not hurt.

The suspects were wearing dark clothing and ski masks and spoke English and possibly Punjabi or Farsi.

This isn't the first time someone has been hurt during a grow-rip gone wrong.

"This is yet another example of how organized crime and the establishment of marijuana grow operations in our communities can and has directly impacted innocent people," Thiessen said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 or CrimeStoppers at 604-669-TIPS.