It is, for lack of a better word, tradition that as we draw nearer to the holiday season, the number of theft and robberies increase. This is the case for at least two Asian business owners, one in Belize City and one in Orange Walk. The first incident took place at the corner of Euphrates Avenue and Dean Street, not too far away from St. Ignatius Primary School, on Monday, December 7, 2020. Just before 2:30 p.m. two men rode up on bicycles at Sneha Grocery Store. They entered the store, acting like customers as video surveillance showed them proceeding to a refrigerator. The mood quickly changed, however, when they approached the counter with a few beers. As the cashier and storeowner started to input the items into the register, one of the men pulled a firearm from his pants. He put the gun in the face of the owner, Muhammed Hussein, as his accomplice went around to raid the cash drawers. It seems that he was unsatisfied with the amount of cash and asked for more. Hussein showed him that he did not have anymore and this prompted the robbers to make off with the money, over $400, and two cellphones before leaving on their bikes.
While Hussein was not injured in the process, he says that he is prepared to cut his losses and leave Belize. This incident is not the first time that he has come to be robbed and recalls that a friend of his has also been robbed before. He feels that his safety is threatened and is asking that the government offer better protection. If that cannot be offered, he says that he will leave the country.
About two hours later in Orange Walk, police officers responded to a report at Beijing Store on Francisco Street. There, 50-year-old Guo Ping said that at around 4:15 p.m., two masked men entered the store. One of the men was armed with a gun and made demands for cash. Fearing for his safety, he handed over an undisclosed amount of cash before the culprits made good their escape.
It is no secret how much of the Belizean populace depends on these grocers for their goods but if a balance cannot be struck between their safety and their business, it may mean the end of these stores in Belize.
