Burglars cleared out the showcases and drawers of the Digicel outlet at La Penitence market early yesterday morning in what was reportedly a nearly hour-long attack.

The outlet which is located on the La Penitence Public Road had no security guard on duty at the time and no security alarm or cameras. To gain entry, the perpetrators nipped the locks on the grill door before cutting the grill.

Mud footprints were visible all over the store yesterday and the drawers had been ransacked. The exact amount of losses was not known at the time Stabroek News visited, but according to Branch Manager of the Speed Link store it was substantial, since a quantity of cellular phones had been stolen.

She explained that the store had a security guard but he usually ended his shift during the day and would go off for the night. The manager said the persons who broke into the store removed the lights outside, nipped the padlocks and cut the grill before entering.

Visibly distraught she went on to say that no one in the surrounding area which had several other business premises had come forward with any information on the break and enter.

She noted that the persons behind the robbery would have taken a while to get in, since they spent time removing the lights outside before nipping the padlocks and cutting the grill.

The police were alerted about the robbery early yesterday morning but when this newspaper visited they had not yet turned up. That particular Speed Link store has never been robbed before but other branches of the store have suffered losses as a consequence of break-ins.

Security arrangements at the store are likely to change over the next few days.