VICTORIA, Seychelles — The first charity shop to open in Seychelles, ‘Laboutik Solidarite’, suffered a devastating break-in between Friday night and Saturday morning. An unidentified individual entered the shop through the roof, causing extensive damage and stealing various items. Caritas member Philip Wong explained that the burglary was discovered around 6am on Saturday when shop manager Irinie Fock-Tave and himself stopped by to collect some items and drop off groceries.
‘When we entered the shop, we noticed that the ceiling was broken. The only way that that could have happened was if someone had been in there,’ Mr Wong said. Forensic investigators later determined that the burglar had used scaffolding erected to repair the building to climb onto the roof, then removed corrugated iron sheets and broke through a cement fibre ceiling to access different areas of the shop. The shop was found in complete disarray, with drawers pulled out and clothing scattered across the floor.
Security footage from Deepam Cinema revealed that the burglar entered the shop at around 10:30pm on Friday and left at approximately 2am on Saturday morning, seen leaving with a large bin liner. ‘Laboutik Solidarite’, located on Olivier Maradan Church Street, sells second-hand clothes, basic household goods, and essential items at affordable prices. The shop, which cost R400,000 to construct, had planned to install CCTV cameras and an alarm system, but delays had prevented the installation. Despite the setback, the police have completed their investigation at the scene and given the shop permission to resume operations once repairs are complete.
