Rotorua ram raids: Superette owner says businesses not the only victims after trio of weekend incidents

Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar outside his store after it was ram-raided over the weekend. Photo / Andrew Warner

A stolen vehicle used to ram-raid a Rotorua superette had a “baby seat in the back” and probably belonged to a young family, the store owner says.

Springfield Superette and Lotto owner Raj Kumar said seeing the car seat in the car used to shatter his shop doors prompted him to speak out about how businesses were not the only victims in ram raids.

Kumar’s business was one of three premises hit by ram raids on Saturday morning.

Within about one hour, stolen vehicles were used to gain entry to Rosedale Superette on Te Ngae Rd, Springfield Superette and Lotto on Otonga Rd and Challenge petrol station on Malfroy Rd.

Later, police found the vehicle that had been used to ram into and escape the service station engulfed in flames on Ford Rd.

Kumar told the Rotorua Daily Post he got the call about a crime in progress at his store at 5.30am on Saturday.

Springfield Superette and Lotto was open for business on Monday after being ram-raided over the weekend. Photo / Andrew Warner

“I live just down the road so I was here on the fly.”

Kumar said he saw a car fleeing the scene as he approached his store.

“As I was coming up, they were driving down the road fast.”

At the store, a Nissan Tiida had been rammed through the superette’s main door, smashing it.

“There was a baby seat in the back.”

Kumar said when he saw it, he thought he thought it could have belonged to a young family. He did not know if they were insured or if the car was properly registered.

“There are more consequences for families. Those people whose cars are stolen are victims too.”

Nothing was taken in the raid. The smashed front door had been temporarily replaced with wooden panels and the store was back in business on Monday.

He was having a video expert review security footage of the event. It appeared from the footage there was one person.

Kumar, a former Rotorua Lakes councillor who has spoken out before about impacts of retail crime, said it was the first time his store had been ram-raided.

The community support had been “overwhelming”.

“Every support service has been very quick. They were on the ball, even after hours.”

Rosedale Superette on Te Ngae Road was one of three businesses ram-raided over the weekend. Photo / Andrew Warner

He said the community and customer support were appreciated but ram-raided businesses would appreciate it if people did not “harass them with questions”.

“Our customer count is about 300 to 400 people a day. Most stores have that. If even 25 per cent of them ask you questions you’re talking about what happened over and over again. It’s like groundhog day.”

Kumar said he understood people’s concern but it was the police’s job to investigate, not the public’s.

Kumar said he was not angry or frustrated by the ram raid as that would not help the situation.

“You’ve just got to be positive. It’s like when you face a flood. You can’t beat yourself up,” he said.

“This is just another form of burglary. If they’re not going to come through the door they’ll come through the roof.”

“I said, ‘People think we’re a drive-through service.”

Police have confirmed they were called about 5am on Saturday to a commercial burglary at a Te Ngae Rd, Owhata address where a vehicle had been used to gain entry. This was Rosedale Superette.

Police were first notified about the burglary on Otonga Rd - Springfield Superette and Lotto - at 5.40am on Saturday and have previously said the two offenders did not take anything before fleeing the scene in another stolen vehicle.

Less than 30 minutes later, at 6.05am, police received a call that the Challenge service station on Malfroy Rd had also been hit.

“Two offenders took items from the store, including cigarettes, before fleeing the scene in the vehicle.”

The spokeswoman said the vehicle used to ram the service station and escape the scene of the crime was found a short time later engulfed in flames on Ford Rd.

The spokeswoman said inquiries into both incidents were ongoing and that at this stage police were unable to confirm if the three incidents were linked.

Maryana Garcia is a regional reporter writing for the Rotorua Daily Post and the Bay of Plenty Times. She covers local issues, health and crime.