A day after fire destroyed a building on Regent and King streets, store owners were met with more misfortune as persons looted the remnants of their businesses during the course of yesterday.
According to one store owner, who spoke to Stabroek News on the condition of anonymity, his losses have since increased.
The store owner explained that he had sought permission from the police to allow him onto the premises in hopes of salvaging what was left behind by the fire. He was redirected to fire officials, who subsequently granted permission. However, it was not long after entering the three-storey building that he was met by a crowd of people, who were combing the debris in the hopes of finding articles that were not destroyed by the fire.
The man related that upon seeing this, he was forced to lock up the place. However, this did not prevent looters from accessing the building.
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday, a large crowd had surrounded the building. Some persons were looking on at what was taking place, while others were seen throwing articles in bulk from the top floor of the building. Countless persons were seen leaving the vicinity of the burnt building with mannequins, shoes and artificial flowers, while others had set up shop in front of the site and were selling whatever articles they had managed to recover.
It was observed that the scavengers continued looting the building, despite the fact that several police officers were standing around the premises.
According to the store owner, a report was made to the police station but he was told that they cannot secure the building all day. Instead, he was directed to seek assistance from a private security firm.
Apart from littering the road and drains immediately around the building, the congregation of looters slowed the flow of traffic significantly.
The fire, which reportedly started after midnight on Thursday, destroyed three businesses— Ashok’s Dry Goods Store, Sabrina’s Fashion and Guyana Real Estate and Insurance Agency. However, the quick action of the Guyana Fire Service prevented the fire from spreading to neighbouring businesses.
According to the occupants of the building, millions of dollars in goods went up in flames as nobody managed to save anything. It was also revealed that after 30 years of paying insurance on the building, the owners had decided to cut ties with their insurance company sometime last year.
The building was reportedly bought in the 1980s by Naipaul Rahman, who is currently residing in New York, but was left in the care of his cousin, Hanuman Ganpat. Ganpat ran the active insurance and real estate company in the upper flat of the building.
