Ram raid at the PC Hutt in Tutanekai street Rotorua
A vehicle smashes through the front of a Rotorua technology store and within seconds eight masked and hooded thieves swarm inside and grab what they can.
Ninety seconds later, they were gone.
The ram raid happened about 1.25am today at the PC Hutt on TutanekaiSt and involved a gang of thieves travelling in three vehicles.
The damage at the PC Hutt on Tutanekai St after a ram raid.
In CCTV footage supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post, the thieves can be seen working quickly to steal gaming equipment and computers.
When he arrived at the shop, police were already there.
“I thought ‘What? Is this happening in Rotorua again?’. For the last two years it has been good but before then every single shop seemed to be having this.”
Kumar said he had had two previous ram raids but given there had not been anything for the past couple of years he had hoped things in Rotorua were improving.
He said he had to stay at the shop all night to keep things secure and only went home just before midday to “freshen up and have something to eat”.
The PC Hutt on Tutanekai St was ram raided. Photo / Andrew Warner
Despite the mess left in the shop, Kumar said his staff were still able to open for business this morning.
Kumar said he would now look more seriously at asking the building’s landlord to install bollards at the front of the store to prevent ram raids.
He said while they had insurance, it was a big investment of time and effort as well as the insurance excess to fix up the mess thieves left behind.
A police spokesperson told the Rotorua Daily Post a scene examination was carried out this morning to establish what had been taken. They said inquiries were ongoing to find the vehicles and offenders involved.
Another victim
The PC Hutt was not the only place hit overnight after thieves targeted Thirsty Liquor on Marguerita St for the second time since Sunday night.
Thirsty Liquor in Rotorua was broken into overnight Sunday and early Tuesday morning this week. Photo / Andrew Warner
A store manager, who spoke on the condition his name was not published, said someone broke a side window of the store about 4am, removed a shutter covering and stole about $1000 worth of alcohol.
He said thieves broke in through exactly the same place overnight on Sunday, on that occasion stealing about $2000 worth of alcohol.
Police said the break-ins had been reported and police were investigating.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
