AN angry takeaway owner fears he will have to shut his business after being targeted by burglars.
Pepe’s Piri Piri in Regent Circus was broken into for the fourth time in as many months on Monday morning and proprietor Saeed Ahmed has had enough.
Saeed said: “I was very excited when I started this business in February. I invested £250,000 and my business generated more than 10 full and part-time jobs in Swindon.
“But with this happening, I’m feeling very down, and I cannot focus on my business.
Store manager Naveed Asim
“I think I made a mistake by opening this in Swindon. Every time it happens this is costing me too much financially.”
Saeed believes the same man – sometimes accompanied – is responsible for all of the break-ins and says he will be left with “no other option” but to close the restaurant if it keeps happening.
Store manager Naveed Asim found a broken safe and a hole in a wall when he opened the fast food restaurant on Monday.
He said: “I came at around 10am to open up and I found this mess.
“This time he was not successful because we now keep the money away, but the times before he managed to steal more than £1,000.
“He came from the basement and made this big hole in the wall. He spent 15 minutes trying to break the safe and then opened the till. He was only interested in finding cash and stayed in the restaurant for nearly an hour.
“He is not wearing a mask or anything, and, after doing it four times, I guess he is not scared anymore.
“I think it’s easier for him to get access to the restaurant because he knows the building, so the landlord is trying his best to protect the restaurant.”
Naveed recognises the same man on CCTV footage but is unable to identify him.
“It was only one guy this time but most of the times there is at least two people,” Naveed said. “It is always the same guy but with different people. In the CCTV, I can clearly see his face.”
The safe was broken by the vandal
But Naveed now fears for his personal safety when working night shifts.
“When I walk to the back of the shop to get my car, I’m scared that someone will attack me,” he said. “I don’t know how to protect myself, so we are now trying to stay in group of two or three, but it is not always possible.
“Obviously he was frustrated because he could not get the money he wanted. If next time he can’t find any cash maybe he will just come to us directly.
The hole in the wall Credit: Naveed Asim
“We are trying to establish the business, but this is definitely not helping us. And it is not like it happened only one time, it happened four times.”
A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Police said: “We are investigating the burglary and enquiries are continuing.”
Anyone with information should call 101.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel