Bartica’s Deputy Mayor Kamal Persaud, owner of Kamal’s Gift Centre, is counting her losses after thieves in the wee hours of Sunday broke and entered her business, which has been in operation for over a decade. Reports are that sometime between 03:00h and 05:00h, bandits made their way through a window on the upper flat at the WK Shopping Mall, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and made off with jewellery, watches, mobile phones and portable DVD players. This follows another robbery committed on the store in September when mobile phones, to the value of $1.2 million, were stolen.

According to preliminary investigations, this latest robbery is similar in nature to the previous incident. Speaking with this publication on Sunday evening, Persaud expressed much frustration over being robbed twice in less than three months. The Deputy Mayor also explained that the lock on the door to the boutique was broken, while the showcase inside the establishment was also damaged.

She explained that while she appreciated the quick response of the Police, more needed to be done to restore safety to the nation’s newest town. The Deputy Mayor pointed out that this was the fourth time she has been robbed in 12 years since the establishment of her business. Persaud further explained that the first incident was in 2006, and the second occurred shortly after in 2007, and she has lost millions of dollars cumulatively.
“Bartica was the safest place in Guyana, but over the years, there have been a lot of criminal elements harbouring themselves here,” Persaud expressed. She added too with a population increase and movement of people, there has been an increase in crime.
Police are continuing their investigations.