THIEVES have burglarised and removed sinks, toilet bowls, paint, electrical bulbs and anything of value in many of the unoccupied houses that have been constructed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) at the Perseverance Housing Development, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

On a closer investigation in the area on Monday, residents related that the suspected thieves usually escape in thick vegetation aback of the scheme. The two-bedroom houses are worth G$6.5M, and the three-bedroom ones G$9M.

One resident said the burglars visit the area in the wee hours of the morning “between 2:00 and 5:00hrs” and raid unoccupied homes. “They usually return to these houses to see if these things are replaced or if anything was added, they even carry away doors, water tanks and louver windows on some houses,” one resident said.

It was noted that the private security in the area is incapable of handling the issue. “This has been happening rampantly for the past two months,” one man said. “They come on bicycles or foot and nothing is being done, but if someone kills one of them, then suddenly it becomes an issue, but when people are suffering nothing is being done.”

One contractor working in the area told this publication that he lost over $500,000 in equipment and machines used complete his work. “I lost water pumps, drills, saw and electrical items that I left in a home that was under construction,” he said.

It was noted that officials from the CH&PA visited the area along with law enforcement to assess the damage, but the burglary continues. Resident also noted that there are also gangs using canter trucks to raid unoccupied houses in Farm, Herstelling and Covent Garden New Schemes, EBD. In some instances thieves would pretend to be construction workers where the houses are unoccupied before they burglarise it.