A Kiwi-Indian bodybuilder and fitness trainer is "shaken" after her car windows were smashed outside a gym and her purse stolen in the early hours of May 20, 2024.
Not just that, she tried to reach the police for help over the phone twice, but her calls were queued up for a response for nearly an hour.
Namrata Rai had only just wrapped up her early morning training session at City Fitness Three Kings when she saw the co-driver’s window of her parked car broken.
“It was about 5.15 am. All my belongings were strewn on the road, and my purse had been stolen. I lost my driver’s license and all my cards, including debit, credit and gift cards,” says Namrata.
Hours after the robbery, she posted on social media, “I was a victim of a crime, and it's been a challenging experience. It's left me feeling shaken and vulnerable, but I’m trying to process everything and take things one step at a time.”
Photo: Supplied
But the robbery was seemingly not the end of her ordeal. Soon after discovering the break-in, she called the police from the parking lot.
“First, I was placed on hold for 15 minutes. I disconnected the call because I was panicking. I called the police again and was put on hold for at least 45 minutes. I then decided to drive back home with my broken car."
Namrata trains at CityFitness Three Kings every day between 3 am and 5 am and also runs her own fitness studio, Family Fitness, in Mount Roskill. The incident occurred on Monday during her training session from 4.45 am to 5.15 am.
She says she is disappointed by the lack of police response despite calling twice and being put on hold for nearly an hour.
"It was very dark when the incident happened, and the first thing that came to my mind was contacting the police. But there was no response for so long.
"Finally, when I got in touch with the police, they gave me a complaint registration number. Now my husband and I are waiting for details and will follow up," she says.
The car is insured, Namrata says, but she is more concerned about her safety and the safety of others who might face similar situations in the future.
"I usually park in a safe spot, and the place I go for personal training…it has a lot of homeless people roaming around. I make sure my car is always locked properly."
Namrata emphasises the importance of having enough CCTV cameras in the city to provide evidence if such incidents occur. She says her own studio, Family Fitness in Mount Roskill, is very secure and equipped with CCTV cameras.
"I hope individuals and businesses can see my post and share it. If businesses have CCTV cameras that can show what happened, please report to the police with file number 240520/9779. I hope the culprit can be caught.”