Stirling sports Upper Hutt was targeted once again in a late night robbery.
Video / Supplied
An Upper Hutt store owner has had sleepless nights guarding his store after it was targeted for the third time in a year.
CCTV footage sent to the Herald showed four people attempting to kick in the front of Suraj Parkash Sund’s Stirling Sports store last night before fleeing.
Earlier,Hutt Valley Area Commander Inspector Wade Jennings said an Upper Hutt store was the target of an overnight burglary by a group of four youths and a 20-year-old man.
“The alleged offenders made multiple attempts to gain access to the store,” Jennings said, “however those attempts were unsuccessful.”
Sund told the Herald he’s sleeping in his store over fears it will be targeted again.
The owner of a Stirling Sports store in Upper Hutt is sleeping in the shop over fears it could be targeted again after it was targeted for the third time since opening. Photo / Supplied
“I started at 9am yesterday and then I spent a whole night and day working yesterday,” Sund said.
“Then I go back to the store, didn’t even sleep, just sit in a chair all night in the office and scared they’ll come back.
“Then I came back home, took a shower and go back again at 9am, I’m still working and then I have to go back to shop tonight and sleep on the bloody air mattress again.
“It’s just too much going on, I feel like I’m a prisoner.”
Sund said it was the third time his store has been targeted in the year since it opened, the first being in April when a man broke in the front door with an axe.
The second incident was in January when the front door was smashed and burglars took off with about $10,000 in stock.
“I’m very much struggling at the moment,” Sund told the Herald.
“It’s a very hard time being a small business owner and I’m trying to survive, trying to put food for my family, you know? And it’s very, very heartbreaking.”
The business owner is concerned that if his store continues to be targeted he’ll have to close down, putting more strain on his family.
“I’m so worried with my financial condition and my family, I got two little kids, one is only 8 and the other is 4.
“They are also very traumatised, my kids are going through a lot at the moment as well because it keeps happening.”
A Givealittle page had been set up to support the businessman after the January attack.
