An 80-year-old businessman who was beaten by bandits, who then robbed his family upstairs Woo Ling’s Supermarket along the Western Main Road in St James last Friday, is now comfortably recovering at home.
“It was a hard pill to swallow and we are all in the role of retail business, so we expect the worst but being invaded in your own premises is totally unimaginable,” he said yesterday.
His condition was revealed by his nephew and owner of the supermarket, Brent Woo Ling, who told Guardian Media that in the 60 years they have been in St James, they have never experienced anything like this.
“We have never, ever, ever, ever, which makes it worse... my uncle was beaten, tied up, and robbed,” Woo Ling said.
During the early hours of last Friday, Woo Ling said a group of armed men entered his premises and robbed them in their home upstairs the supermarket, which was closed at the time.
He did not want to reveal how much money they lost but said the bandits also took their surveillance equipment, which made him believe that the bandits were monitoring them for some time now.
No arrests have been made but police from the West End Division told Guardian Media the investigation into the robbery is ongoing and they had already taken statements from the victims.
“They (the police) are in contact,” Woo Lin said yesterday.
Woo Ling said he had nothing to say to the men who carried out the attack on his family.
However, he said the ordeal was enough to cause them to retire from operating their business soon. They will now seek to find a buyer for the supermarket so that their 60-plus legacy of offering service to the people of St James will be carried on.
“Whatever God’s plan, we will have to accept, we are not really closing down at the moment but whoever the next owner, we hope that they continue this line of business,” Woo Ling said.
He said the spot is an iconic one. In a Facebook, post sharing the incident, Woo Lin also asked those who may be interested in expanding their business to St James to reach out to him privately.
“We continue to ask God’s protection for everyone’s safety as we journey through these perilous times while trying to make an honest living,” he added.
