Sources
believe
that
the
thieves
chose
to
leave
the
cylinders
behind
as
they
were
too
cumbersome
to
escape
with,
especially
if
they
happened
to
be
spotted.
Both
establishments
have
been
in
operation
in
the
market
for
more
than
five
years,
and
their
owners
lamented
the
poor
security
there
despite
paying
rentals
to
the
city
council.
Manager
of
Dhanpaul
Jewellery,
Dhanpaul
Nandalall
told
Stabroek
News
yesterday
that
he
had
secured
his
stall
around
4.45
on
Saturday
afternoon
and
had
then
headed
for
home.
The
businessman
said
at
the
time
other
vendors
were
busy
closing
off
their
stores
in
time
for
5
pm.
Nandalall
said
yesterday
morning
around
8.45
he
received
a
call
from
someone
telling
him
that
his
stall
had
been
breached.
He
immediately
hurried
down
to
the
market
only
to
find
the
door
to
his
stall
wide
open,
and
two
cylinders
standing
outside.
Inside,
everything
was
in
a
mess,
while
his
safe
where
he
kept
his
money
and
jewellery
had
been
flung
on
the
ground,
and
his
showcases
ripped
apart.
"This
is
too
much
for
me...
I
am
working
hard
to
stay
in
business
and
look
what
happen,"
a
distraught
Nandalall
told
Stabroek
News.
The
two
gas
cylinders
used
in
the
robbery
were
both
well
oiled
and
investigators
believe
that
it
might
be
difficult
to
uplift
fingerprints
from
them.
Across
at
S&D
Jaipersaud's
establishment,
Shamsundar
Jaipersaud,
the
brother
of
Deonarine
Jaipersaud
who
owns
the
stall,
estimated
their
losses
in
the
region
of
$20M
in
jewellery.
Besides,
he
said
the
bandits
carted
off
a
.32
revolver
which
had
been
left
in
the
safe,
along
with
Cdn$4000,
US$3000
and
G$700,000.
Jaipersaud
said
he
had
been
helping
out
his
brother
as
he
was
away,
and
that
it
was
around
9
am
yesterday
his
brother's
wife,
Sharda
Jairam
had
received
a
call
informing
her
that
their
stall
had
been
broken
into.
Jaipersaud
said
his
safe
too
had
been
blow-torched
and
the
padlocks
on
the
doors
cut
off.
Stabroek
News
was
told
that
at
the
end
of
each
day
the
stallholders
would
normally
retrieve
the
jewellery
from
the
show
cases
and
store
it
in
a
safe
which
is
then
secured
and
left
in
the
stall.
Jaipersaud
said
this
is
what
they
did
on
Saturday
afternoon.
He
lamented
the
lack
of
protection
for
citizens
on
the
streets
and
the
targeting
of
their
possessions.
"We
just
feel
like
give
up
everything
and
move
out
this
country...
that
is
what
we
feel
like
doing
right
now,"
Jaipersaud
remarked.
As
word
about
the
robbery
spread
scores
of
stallholders
rushed
to
the
market
to
check
on
their
properties.
Williams
told
this
newspaper
that
Mayor
Hamilton
Green
and
other
city
officials,
together
with
representatives
of
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
had
visited
the
market
yesterday
on
hearing
the
news.
He
said
following
an
inspection
of
the
site
an
emergency
investigation
was
launched
into
how
the
bandits
had
managed
to
carry
the
cylinders
into
the
market.
Further,
Williams
mentioned
that
both
stalls
had
been
well
secured
with
grillwork
and
huge
padlocks.
The
Deputy
Mayor
said
the
constabulary
usually
provided
security
for
the
market
and
Saturday
night
three
constables
and
a
supervisor
had
been
on
duty.
He
said
an
investigation
into
the
conduct
of
the
ranks
on
Saturday
and
whether
due
process
had
been
followed
for
the
closure
of
the
market
would
be
mounted.
With
regard
to
the
modus
operandi
of
the
robbers,
Williams
said
from
observation
the
cylinders
could
have
been
taken
into
the
market
on
Saturday.
He
said
they
would
have
to
examine
every
aspect
of
the
situation.
The
Mayor
was
a
criminal
in
