Store in Gulf City Mall broken into

According to police, at about 4 am, a security guard heard the sound of shattering glass and went towards the main entrance of Gulf City Mall in La Romaine to investigate.

The security guard saw four men, all armed, running up the escalator in the centre of the mall.

THe intruders later held the guard up at gunpoint while they smashed the glass door entrance to the store. They then stole dozens of cellular phones including expensive iPhones. The smashing of glass set off the store’s alarm system.

The owners of the store Robindranath Maharaj and Zyroon Joy Maharaj were contacted and asked if they expected anyone to be at the store at that unusual hour. When Robindranath checked camera footage of the store via his cellphone, he noticed the front glass door shattered. He quickly left his Gulf View home and headed to the mall.

“The security guard said he was held up at gun point. They (the burglars) smashed two showcases and took iPhones and Samsung phones, but mostly iPhones.

They didn’t take any cash. I don’t know what exactly they did, but somehow the store’s camera footage was also wiped,” said a source from the mall.

No other stores were broken into. Despite the shattered glass and stolen items, R&J Cell Tech was open for business as usual yesterday.

Gulf City Mall Public Relations Officer Sarah Ragoonath said the style of the robbery was a first for the mall. “This was a frightening experience for the security guard, but we are glad that he is safe and nobody was hurt. “We have cameras in the carparks, but we are in the process of installing cameras at the main entrance and along the area where the store was broken into because these are incidents that you learn from. We are still the safest mall in South Trinidad,” Ragoonath said. San Fernando police are investigating.

In 2013, the store was among several to be burglarised and over $250,000 in items stolen.