Three Bourda Market stalls were broken into and raided between Tuesday night and yesterday morning.
Data’s Grocery & Variety Shop, RJ Ashim and Trinni’s Variety Store were all robbed by one or more thieves in the latest in a series of recent market robberies. Police are investigating the robberies, while the City Constabulary came in for severe criticism over its failure to address the situation.
Sumintra Data, the owner of Data’s Grocery & Variety Shop, said that a fellow stall owner called her around 7:30am and told her that she had been robbed. “They are in charge of the market and they can’t even look after people stall properly,” she said of the City Constabulary afterward.
“They come in here and take my foodstuff and eat it and left the pack here, they ain’t even want the foodstuff, they did want the money which was couple fine change,” added the owner of RJ Ashim.
“When I call the constable, I ask them if they call the police. They go and ask if I didn’t call police myself!” the stall holder further said.
The owner of Trinni’s Variety Store, who was robbed two weeks ago, said that he received the call that he had been robbed again and he went to the market and found that the constabulary was not allowing anyone to enter the market until around 7:20am.
All three stall holders complained that Bourda market doesn’t have electricity and they have to provide their own power. They also stated they have to pay rent for the stall that they are using and they are not protected against thieves.
Bystanders and other stall owners told Stabroek News that they are tired of the robberies that are never solved by the City Constabulary, which always puts them on hold.
Stall owners said they are trying to run their businesses but they cannot do so because persons keep breaking into their stalls.
Mayor Hamilton Green, who arrived at the scene later, apologised for the losses but added that he could not do much due to the fact that the money that the city council is given is limited and efforts to increase its income are continually denied.
Town Clerk Carol Sooba stated that she could not say anything about the robberies as yet because she needed to investigate the matter.
Recently, stall holders at both Bourda and Stabroek suggested that thefts are being carried out by vendors operating in the very markets.
In the past, robberies have been committed by persons who hid in the market until it was closed and then came out in the night and broke into stalls.
As a result, stall owners have beefed-up security with reinforced grills to prevent thieves from breaking into their stalls.
