Lethem spare parts dealer robbed

Bandits during the wee hours of yesterday broke into a Lethem auto spares business and carted off cash and spare parts.

Businessman Jagdesh Nauth last evening told Stabroek News that he was aroused by a thud on his door at around 3am. Nauth said that at the time he was watching television.

“I got up and asked `who there’ but they didn’t respond. I peep through the window and saw two men by the door trying to break it but I didn’t go out because I wasn’t sure if they had a gun,” he said.

As the banging got louder, Nauth said his Chinese neighbours were awakened and they started to scream forcing the bandits to abort their mission.

Nauth said that while the bandits did not gain entry to his home, they entered his store next door and stole spare parts to which he cannot yet put a value. The men also carted off $400,000 and close to $500,000 Brazillian Real.

“After the two of them run away, I didn’t know if anymore was behind so I stay inside until day clean and when I went over to the shop, I see the locks break,” he said, adding that spare parts were missing from the shop and the money he had saved to take to the bank was also gone.

Nauth believes the perpetrators knew of the cash in the store as only that area was ransacked.

He bemoaned that robberies in the border town have increased over the past weeks and he is calling on the police to conduct more frequent patrols within the business community.

“Is every couple days you hearing of a breaking in here or there… it has become so frequent now and businesses have to be careful,” he lamented.

Up to press time no arrest had been made.