Two constables of the New Amsterdam market were taken into police custody yesterday following the discovery of a break-in at Husain’s Jewellery Store in the market in which over $1.5M worth in jewellery was stolen.
Owner of the store, Zainool Husain told Stabroek News that the bandits cleaned out his glass case of gold, diamond and silver jewellery.
They also broke into a photo studio and footwear business belonging to Patrick Williams called ‘Plantain’ and ransacked it. He lost a quantity of footwear.
Williams had already left for Georgetown when he received a call about the break-in. He returned yesterday afternoon and was counting his losses. It appeared as though the bandits used a crow bar to prise open the glass door.
They also attempted to break into Hack’s Electronics Store by wrenching a padlock but their efforts were thwarted after they encountered several other padlocks on the grill door.
Owner of the store, Rasheed Hack said three months ago thieves broke into his stall and stole a quantity of cell phones which he had taken on credit.
Husain said he was at home when he received a call from another stall holder that his business had been robbed and he and his wife, Romona got to the scene immediately.
They observed that the bandits gained entry to his stall by wrenching open the shutter and the grill.
The robbers had apparently broken a section of the town hall on the upper flat to gain access to the market below.
They shifted the glass-case in order to open it and while standing outside [of the stall] they used an object to pull the jewels out.
He said the constables are claiming that they made their last checks in the market at 7 am and that the break-in could have occurred after.
The jeweller is adamant that it had to have happened before that because the market opens at 7 am and just after that stallholders were already there.
His wife said she was frustrated because that was the third time the stall was robbed and that they were not getting justice. She said two empty ring containers were found along the track in the market.
Police visited the scene and conducted investigations and took fingerprints. Reports are that there was a domino competition at the town hall on Monday night.
