Investigators have confirmed that there are at least two gangs, who have been using canter trucks to raid unoccupied houses in Farm, Herstelling and Covent Garden New Schemes on the East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Over the past month, more than 100 newly constructed houses were broken into in these areas.
The Guyana Standard has been informed that houses are being broken into almost every day by the thieves, who would usually patrol these areas. It is believed that the suspects are from Mocha, Agricola and Herstelling.
According to information received, when potential victims are sited, a group of thieves—pretending to be construction workers would go to the site and pretend to be working for at least an hour before they break into the building and start emptying the property.
“Remember it’s a new scheme so neighbours would not know who is the owner so when they see a canter truck and a gang of men doing work, they would not know what is happening,” a police source said.
There are reports that the thieves have even been stealing sand, stone, building materials and tools.
“These people thief any and everything. If you have grill on your window, they would rip it and take it with them. Their favourite thing is the windows. They would uninstall your windows just after you put them on,” a cop said.
This news agency has been informed that when ranks are doing patrols in these areas, they would find building materials discarded in the grass and on the roadway. “Like when they run out of space in the vehicle, they just throw away what they don’t need.”
One new home owner has complained of his sink being ripped from his kitchen cupboard and stolen. Another person lost two doors while another victim lost a couple of buckets of paints, locks and a shower set.
In a bid to reduce the number of reported break-ins, ranks have been doing regular patrols in these areas. The police are also advising persons to hire a security guard when they plan on leaving materials at the site.
“Building a bond does not mean your materials are secured. You need to hire someone because these men (suspects) are breaking through doors and grill works very easy,” a source said while adding that persons should try to install security cameras as soon as possible.
