Shastri Boodan
Thieves broke into a school operated by a religious organisation in central Trinidad and stole $79,000 in school fees
Swami Prakashananda said three bandits broke into the Chinmaya Mission’s Vidyalaya Pre, Primary and Secondary Schools at Mc Bean, Couva in pre-dawn hours on Monday.
He said the thieves tied up the security guards and went on to loot two offices on the compound.
He said the organisation was in the process of collecting school fees over the weekend.
Swami Prakashananda said the thieves knew exactly where to go and used bolt cutters to chop open the burgular-proof and then used a crowbar to break open a safe.
He said security would be beefed up at the mission.
He said “ It shows the depth to where our society has sunken where people of absolute no conscience could even loot or rob a place of this type, a spiritual place where students are taught values where the future if the nation lies, they are robbing, looting and plundering these type of places. I feel society has sunk to a new depth.”
The swami said the robbers were well prepared.
Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh said the Government was pumping millions of dollars into Tobago to win vote in the upcoming THA elections while neglecting the people of Central.
Indarsingh said, “This attack has left the security personnel, leadership, members of the Mission deeply traumatised and concerned about their personal safety in the future. The robbery of the Mission and its education institute is the latest in home invasions, murders, burglaries at businesses and other wrenching crimes which have been perpetrated against the constituents of Couva South and Central Trinidad on the whole.
Indarsingh said he will seek a meeting a with the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police to draw their energy and resources to address the escalating crime rate in the Freeport/Calcutta area, and the wider constituency of Couva South