(Trinidad Express) The Cunupia Business Chamber said yesterday it was “saddened by the brutal killing of Darryl Dindial, an outstanding member of the Central community”.
The Chamber was among those in the business community expressing “horror” at the fatal shooting on Thursday night of 52-year-old Dindial by gunmen attempting to steal his vehicle. Dindial was outside his Montrose, Chaguanas Main Road, business place and was said to have been on a video call with his children at the time.
In a statement yesterday, Chamber president Rasheed Ali said it was “heartbreaking that at the age of 52, having worked hard and honestly, Dindial was killed while conducting his lawful business by free-ranging criminals”.
“The manner in which Dindial was gunned down and the heartache caused to his family, friends and community are to be condemned,” Ali said.
Ali, who is also an auto parts dealer, is now urging business people to be more diligent and cautious about opening and closing hours and to pay added attention to their surroundings while at their business places.
Extending sympathy to the Dindial family, Ali called on the Government to “act concisely and swiftly to deal with out-of-control crime”.
“The Government must do more to protect law-abiding citizens,” Ali stated.
He added: “There is an increase in crime in Central and the issuance of legal firearms to business owners should be prioritised.”
Ali said business owners and citizens ought to be given the opportunity to protect themselves and their families.
He also urged business owners to place emphasis on security for their homes and compounds—while noting that crime had caused increased costs to the business community, as it tried to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The cost is worth it,” Ali said, “Instead of depending on the national security forces, such as the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), as they are short on resources like vehicles, for effective patrols and responding to crime.”
Central Trinidad is “under nothing less than a criminal siege”, a number of business people have said.
Those who spoke to the Sunday Express were afraid to be identified, saying reprisals have become the norm when they speak out against their tormentors.
Among the levies being imposed on lawful business owners by criminals is the practice of monthly extortion, many said, where they are forced to pay “protection money”.
“This has been going on for years and for some, it did not stop with the pandemic, even when they were not making money. This has been going on for decades and has gotten worse. It is known to the police and nothing is being done,” said one business owner.
The man said supermarkets are the most common target, and some are known to be paying up to $10,000 per month to “be kept safe”.
“There are cases where people will walk into someone’s grocery, pick up goods and walk out and no one can tell them anything,” he said.
A number of people said while large businesses are able to invest, small and medium operations are “under pressure” from extortion, increased robberies and home invasions and petty theft.
“Central is under tremendous heat from crime,” one woman business owner said.
