SAN JOSE — A teenage trio that terrorized more than a dozen minimarts and gas stations in the South Bay over several months while wearing Geisha masks is now behind bars, according to San Jose police.

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Sunnyvale man arrested on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with teen The “Geisha Dolls” crew, dubbed as such because of the distinct face coverings they donned while robbing businesses at gunpoint, targeted businesses in San Jose and Milpitas and in some cases pistol-whipped the store clerks they encountered.

And the estimate of about 12 armed robberies, between Oct. 23 and Jan. 25, is conservative. Police said the investigation is ongoing and believe there may be more victims who have not reported a robbery linked to the crew of three teenage boys, two of which were 17 years old and one who was 16. Their names were withheld because they were minors.

Over the past few months, police gathered reports of the assorted robberies, which always involved at least one, but not all, of the suspects. During the early stretch of holdups, they reportedly wore Geisha-style masks to conceal their faces and threatened clerks with a handgun or large knife.

As the reports piled up, San Jose robbery detectives led by Sgt. Ron Starkey were able to identify a 17-year-old boy as a potential suspect, and soon linked him to the other two teens, police said.

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A break in the case occurred after the most recent reported robbery on Jan. 25 at an AM/PM in the 2000 block of North Capitol Avenue. Responding officers were able to track a 17-year-old suspect to his home, where they found evidence tying him to that instance, and robbery detectives realized he was likely part of the crew they were tracking.

A more extensive search of that suspect’s home reportedly turned up material implicating him in at least 11 other robberies, and he was booked into juvenile hall. On Feb. 14, the investigation led to the other two teen suspects’ arrests in San Jose.

Anyone with information about the cases, or believes they might be a victim of the crew, can contact San Jose robbery detectives Juan Hernandez or George Constantine at 408-277-4166 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP or svcrimestoppers.org.