Business set on fire

Police were also on the scene quickly, arriving about ten minutes after the fire fighters, said SJBA Public Relations Officer Abrahim Ali. “Thank God, otherwise that building might have burned down.

A panel van did catch fire though.

It was parked close to the gate so when the men; seen on CCTV footage, threw something flammable into the compound, some landed on the van and the entire back of the vehicle got damaged. One tyre got scorched too.” Ali noted that not only was this the third overall incident of arson in the San Juan area in less than a month, it was the second time the D&J business was targeted. “This warehouse is owned by the same man Dugan Singh whose retail space, D&J Budget Mart Limited (D&J), was set on fire on November 21 and looted a few days later, when he removed the security detail.

Mr Singh had started selling from his warehouse after fire destroyed his other business but now, I don’t know what he’s going to do,” Ali lamented.

Last week Tuesday in an interview with Newsday, Ali said “reliable sources” had informed him of their belief that criminal elements, ‘inspired’ by the November 21 incident, had set fire to ‘Benefit the People Supermarket’ off the Eastern Main Road, Barataria in the pre-dawn hours of December 12. A video posted to social media showed men and women unashamedly walking out of the smouldering business with everything from rum to baby diapers to a variety of food items.

In addition to putting its members on high alert, the SJBA will today make another request to meet with Head of the North Eastern Division, Senior Superintendent Surendra Sagramsingh, to discuss measures meant to “nip this disturbing trend in the bud”, Ali stated. As of late yesterday afternoon, Singh said he was “undecided” about re-opening his business today. He was also “undecided” about whether or not to relocate it, given that there was one incident of arson and looting and what seems to have been an attempted repeat of such.

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