An Auckland builder鈥檚 home has been stripped clean by burglars in two separate incidents over two days while it was undergoing renovation.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.
Johnny Singh says a group of people made multiple trips over the weekend to his Onehunga home which was undergoing extensive renovations.
Security footage from neighbours showed three cars going to and from his property where he lives with his wife and newborn infant.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really gut-wrenching. We were trying to finish our house renovation and they have cleaned us out,鈥 said Singh.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e taken all our appliances and really done a good job.鈥
He said they took all his personal building tools - nail guns, saw, impact drills, speaker, fast and dual chargers, 6amp and 5amp batteries etc including a number of household items.
The house is undergoing renovations currently, and Singh said amidst an already challenging time and a newborn to look after, the thefts had added significantly to their troubles.
If once was not enough, the burglars returned with a truck the day after.
鈥淲e were trying to get over this unfortunate event on Saturday but then we were robbed again on Sunday morning [May 21],鈥 Singh said.
鈥淭hey have smashed up our garage door and taken everything from our garage. They did two loads and brought a truck back for the second load to really clean us out.鈥
Thieves stole a truck load of items from a builder's house in Onehunga, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
When they returned for another trip, he managed to catch them in the act, Singh said.
鈥淚 decided to chase them away and it turned into a vehicle pursuit along the suburban streets.
鈥淏ut the guy driving the truck decided to pull over and tried to attack me with a hammer, at that point I backed up.鈥
The alleged thief drove away while Singh was on a call with police.
鈥淚 was in fear of my life but at the same time, I didn鈥檛 want him to get away with my belongings which I could see on the back of his truck.
鈥淚 chased them along the motorway and they turned towards Mangere, then I lost sight and decided to end the chase because it was too dangerous.鈥
Singh said he has been left out of pocket for at least $100,000.
鈥淥ur whole house is cleaned out. We are trying to make ends meet, my wife is on maternity leave, we have a newborn baby to look after, and mortgage rates to pay. We don鈥檛 have money to throw around here.鈥
Singh said he posted about it on several community Facebook groups and was able to gather photographs and registration plate numbers of those believed to be responsible.
鈥淚鈥檝e contacted the police and they have done their general follow-up and taken a statement but I feel that the crime rate in Onehunga has gotten out of control and less is being done about it.
鈥淭hieves know how slack police are, they know they can rob a house and won鈥檛 be caught. This, in a way, justifies their actions.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what the answer is. To what extent do we need to go so that our families feel safe in this community?
鈥淎t the end of the day, it doesn鈥檛 take away from me and my family feeling so disgusted by these criminals.
鈥淭hey have made us and our community in Onehunga feel vulnerable and violated. We don鈥檛 even feel safe in our own homes anymore.鈥
Onehunga resident Johnny Singh was left $100,000 out of pocket after his house was robbed three times in two days. Photo / Supplied
Auckland City East police area prevention manager Inspector Rachel Dolheguy said the district鈥檚 tactical crime unit had been investigating two burglaries at a Melville Place address that occurred within the past five days.
鈥淚n both instances, our scene of crime officers attended the address to explore for any forensic opportunities to assist our investigation.
鈥淚 ask anyone with any new information that may further assist us in apprehending those responsible to contact police so this can be assessed.鈥
Dolheguy said officers were aware of a further incident that occurred at the address on Sunday.
鈥淥ther police staff were alerted to the vehicle鈥檚 description and location, but this vehicle was not located at the time.
鈥淧olice understand how invasive burglaries can be on their victims, let alone being victimised in short succession.
鈥淚n some instances, our staff make arrests while an incident is unfolding, and in other cases, our staff work diligently with all lines of inquiry available to hold offenders to account.鈥
Dolheguy said there were certain processes and evidential sufficiency that was required when investigating burglaries, such as obtaining search warrants.
鈥淧olice do our best to ensure this is worked through in a timely manner.
鈥淯nfortunately, experience shows us that construction or renovation sites are targeted by opportunistic offenders because they are often unattended and may contain unsecured items that are easily targeted.鈥
Police encouraged the community to report any suspicious activity and where possible to provide a file or reference number so that any new information could be added to that file, Dolheguy said.
鈥淥ur advice remains that if there is a risk to a person鈥檚 personal safety to contact 111 immediately.
鈥淲e also encourage people to not take matters into their own hands, instead to obtain all possible information and pass this to the police to take appropriate action.鈥
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