A   BUSINESSMAN yesterday expressed anger and dismay at what he called the “very daring and barefaced theft” of construction material from the compound at Castellani House on Vlissengen Road in the city.

According to Mr. Vishnu Bandhu of V.B. New Approach General Construction Inc., his company was tasked with repairing  a bridge outside  Castellani House at the corner of Vlissengen Road and Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown, and this was completed  around 13:00 hrs  on Monday.
The businessman said that they had removed a large quantity of materials from the aging bridge and stored it near the newly constructed structure. He said he was shocked to find that the materials had disappeared when he arrived on the scene after 13:00 hrs yesterday.
Upon investigating, his employees told him that they had seen a Canter truck arriving and three men loading the materials onto the vehicle. They said the female security on duty at the time, whose name was given, had told them that the businessman (Mr. Bandhu) had given her permission to remove the wood from the bridge, so they allowed the Canter truck to leave with its cargo.
Bandhu said he almost went into a coma when he entered Castellani House compound and realised that a large amount of wood for the completion of the bridge had also disappeared from two locations inside the compound.
He said that these were new pieces of wood of varying lengths, some of which had been covered with tar in readiness for the new bridge.
Sources have informed the businessman that the second set of wood, missing, was also loaded onto the Canter truck and taken away. Bandhu said that the new material that was stolen is valued over $100,000.
The businessman is still in shock at what has occurred and even more appalled that such a daring theft could have occurred at such a prestigious location like  Castellani House, a large nineteenth-century building which has been the home of the National Art Gallery  since 1993.
Guyana’s Central Intelligence Agency is also located on the grounds of Castellani House.
“I’m terribly shocked at what has happened and even more petrified that such a barefaced thief was actually in the employ at Castellani House. And to think that the theft was conducted by a security guard leaves me wondering. This is like putting cat fuh watch milk.”
The businessman recalled that he had never engaged the female security guard in conversation except once, while visiting the location when she asked for his name. He said she had never asked him for any wood, nor had he ever instructed her to remove any from the compound.
The female security guard has reportedly disappeared from the location since and no one seem to be able to contact her.