Left: Dandy Photographics owner Robert Ohayon shows the damage done by thieves who raided the shop over Easter.By Shaun Inguanzo
SHOPPERS have been urged to report suspicious cameras for sale to police after thieves raided a Dandenong camera store over Easter.
The Easter burglary on Dandy Photographics destroyed plans by owners Robert and Lyn Ohayon to spend the public holiday with family.
Mr Ohayon said the break-in occurred at 1.30am on Easter Sunday with thieves entering via the shop’s back door after smashing through glass, avoiding metal bars and unlocking the door.
“The security company was on the scene within minutes of the alarm being triggered,” he said, but in the short interval, intruders stole an estimated $6000 worth of cameras and an iRiver 40 gigabyte hard drive.
Mr Ohayon was forced to tend to the shop soon after the break-in and could not believe the damage done.
“When arriving at the shop, I was shocked to see how they had gained entry as we have high security,” he said.
“There are bars and security locks on all doors and windows, and an alarm system.
“We now have installed a video-surveillance system.”
But while the damage has been cleared, and the theft taken care of by the shop’s insurance company, Mr Ohayon and his wife can not replace the valuable time lost with family.
“The inconvenience of having to clean up the mess left behind and having to take stock of what was missing is disappointing as we planned a day with the family as this is one of the very few days we get off,” he said.
Mr Ohayon’s latest concern is that the stolen goods are being resold by thieves either online or at inconspicuous places, and at a discounted price.
“If you are offered any of these items please contact the Dandenong police,” he said.
Stolen digital cameras include models from Konica, Minolta, Casio, Ricoh, Vivitar, Fuji and Canon.
