The Kiwi-Indian owners of House of Gold and Diamond say they are considering a move to Australia after their store in Auckland was robbed on Anzac Day.
Navita Shee, the sister of the owner, told The Indian Weekender the incident on April 25, 2024, has left her entire family in shock.
“Looking at the increasing robberies across New Zealand, we thought Australia might be safer. We are still contemplating the idea of moving.”
CCTV footage of the smash-and-grab shows six masked robbers wielding hammer and machete forced their way into the store in Manurewa.
At least seven customers can be seen jumping over the cabinets to hide at the back of the store, and a couple trying to duck in defence before finally making their way out of the store.
“The National Party made rules and promises to minimise crime, but I don’t see any change. It has been the same for the last so many years,” Shee says.
The National Party-led coalition government rode to power in last year’s national elections on the back of a poll campaign that largely centred on poor law and order under the Labour administration.
Shee says numerous incidents of ram raids and robberies at liquor and vape stores and supermarkets lately leave “little hope” for businesses.
The security footage of the robbery at House of Gold and Diamond shows masked men wrapped up the heist in just 45 seconds. Shee, who was at the store when the robbers struck, says some of the assailants seemed rather young, and is calling for stricter laws to discourage juvenile delinquency.
“The youth continue to resort to such crimes because they know they will be released soon without accountability,” Shee says.
The police reportedly found the vehicle the robbers used dumped nearby about 15 minutes after the robbery. A team of forensics took fingerprints from the dumped car, Shee says, but it could take a few days before these can be traced to the culprits.
The House of Gold and Diamond store reopened to customers the next day to slow business. Shee says the community has been supportive and the family “is trying best to recover from the incident”.
“We have insurance, but we are waiting for an assessment to come in,” says Shee, whose family moved to New Zealand in 2008 and opened the jewellery store in 2012. This is the first time the family had experienced a robbery of this kind.
ISSUE
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Friday, May 10, 2024
Volume 16 . Issue 7