The Hamilton dairy shop attack on Monday, November 27, did more damage than just taking cash and grievously injuring a 58-year-old man. Dairy owner Ajit Farrar and his family is now fighting more than one battle even after 11 days of the brazen robbery.
Mr Farrar is due for an eye surgery on Monday, December 11, at Waikato Hospital after the attack left him with the bruised eyeball. Mr Farrar will have a prosthetic eyeball inserted as he has lost vision from the right eye completely.
“He is still in lots of pain and is taking a lot of medication for this,” Mr Farrar’s daughter Sonam S Naidoo told The Indian Weekender.
The dairy store has remained closed ever since the attack leading the family into financial stress after immense emotional trauma.
“It was one part of the income that we were receiving so has been quite a huge effect, not just on my parents but also for the community around us,” Ms Naidoo added.
Mr Farrar’s two daughters who work in Auckland and Wellington have been travelling regularly to make sure their father is recovering.
“It is quite hard for her as she (Mr Ajit Farrar’s wife) is also looking after two of my younger siblings who are still in school, and preparing for the farmer's markets which they have to keep doing due to financial reasons.
“It is tough when you still have a lot of bills/mortgage/kids to pay for, and with Christmas around the corner, these things just have to keep on going,” Ms Naidoo added.
The police on Monday arrested a 13-year-old, but the other three offenders are still at large and are being hunted by the police.
Ajit Farrar on his bed injured in the hospital last week- (Picture: Tom Lee/Stuff.co.nz)
“The police has caught the 13-year-old offender, but the man who stabbed my father in the eye is still roaming free on the streets,” Ms Naidoo said.
Mr Farrar received immense support from the community ever since who have come forward to help the family in their difficult times. Labour Party List MP for Hamilton East Jamie Strange and National Party MP for Hamilton West Tim Macindoe visited the family and assured the offenders would be caught soon.
Four offenders attacked Irvine Street Dairy in Frankton, Hamilton at around 12:45 p.m. on Monday, November 27 leaving the sole attendant at the shop Mr Ajit Farrar with grievous injuries on hand, wrist, face and eye.
“These offenders need tougher penalties, not just a slap on the wrist. These people need to know that what they are doing is not right, stealing from innocents and hurting them is not right.
“There is currently a black market for cigarettes, and they need to either ban smokes altogether or give these people harsher punishments. We pay our taxes, we work hard every day, yet they sit on the benefit and steal from us? It just does not make any sense to us,” Ms Naidoo said.