The increasing cases of crimes, robberies and ram raids don't seem to end. Every day the fear of crimes is increasing in the community as people fear they could be the next target.
It is not just dairies and small retail shops that are being targeted now even beauty parlours are not safe from the offenders.
Late Wednesday night, Ladies Corner, a well-known beauty parlour in South Auckland's Papatoetoe, was robbed.
The owner of the parlour, Anita Bhola, is in utter shock at the moment and is trying to understand why someone would rob a parlour.
Talking to Indian Weekender, a distressed Bhola, who has been running this parlour for decades, said, “I don’t know what to say...I am just speechless. I never thought it could happen to me. No one is safe in New Zealand, it seems. I am traumatised by this incident, and even my sugar level is up. Is this what we expect in a country like NZ? All we do is work hard, and then some people just come and snatch everything. It is such a sad state of affairs. Ab daar baith gaya hai. (I am scared for life).”
According to Bhola, she got a call from ADT Security Services at around 1:30 am that the alarm of her parlour had gone up while she was at sleeping at her home in Karaka. After the call, Bhola saw the CCTV of her parlour, but at that moment she did not realise that the front window of her parlour was broken and the shop had been raided, and she went back to sleep.
At 5:30 am on Thursday, she got a call from the Police confirming that the shop had been robbed and then Bhola instantly came to her parlour at around 6 am.
Once she reached there, she was shocked to see that all her make-up products, kits, GHD's range of hair product, perfumes, and even artificial jewellery had been looted.
She says, "We don't deserve this to happen to us. We feel so helpless. I have checked the CCTV and could see that two females looking culprits are involved in the incident. They broke the door at 10:30 pm. It was after 1:30 am, then began taking the stuff.”
So, what are the Police saying? Bhola said, "Police have told me to get in touch with insurance. I want to say that enough is enough, and the government needs stricter laws. We don't want NZ like this. There is so much fear, and we don't feel safe anymore."
Even the community members are shocked that the offenders have even started targetting beauty parlour.
Gurdeep Singh, President of Papatoetoe-based business association Auckland Indian Retailers Association, told Indian Weekender, "What is happening in the community with regards to crime is unacceptable. The anger and frustration are building, and I think the government is too late to take strict actions, which is why the culprits have no fear and are committing crimes. Earlier I had some hope from Labour Party and Jacinda Ardern, but not now. They seem to be blind and deaf to the situation and just unwilling to take any action. Earlier it was dairies, liquor shops, electronic shops and clothing and not even beauty parlours where are we heading?"
One community member, Tushar, said, "It just fun games to them [the offenders] - there is not much to gain apart from some thrill and fame in their friend circle.”
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