A hole in the Kurtha pocket of a local supermarket owner, resulted in a financial loss for him, after he unintentionally provided an opportunity for drug-addicts to pounce.
Last Friday, March 9, at around 11am, the owner of Flamingo Supermarket, affectionately known as Shaffie, had been walking on the corner of Tangerine Street and 9th Avenue, when he unwittingly dropped some cash on the ground. Before he knew it, a group of young hoodlums, known to the community as the 'nyaope boys', swooped in and grabbed the money before hastily fleeing the scene.
Akber Ebrahim, the manager of Flamingo Supermarket, told the Laudium Sun that it was a most unfortunate incident for Shaffie and his staff. “It was around 11am when my boss, Shaffie, came to collect some cash to buy stock. He put the cash in his pocket and then left. But he didn't realize he had a hole in his pocket while leaving the shop,” Akber exclaimed.
“Just after he left, I received a call from my boss asking me to reconfirm if I had given him the cash before he left, because it wasn't in his pocket,” Akber continued. “I confirmed that I really did give him the money. He then asked me to check in the shop in case that money was left somewhere but still nothing was found. A few minutes later, as I stood outside the shop door, I saw a speeding car pass and as it passed, money started flying everywhere. We then realised that the car went over the money that fell out of my boss's pocket. As soon as the money went flying, these nyaope boys flew to the scene, tripping over each other, to grab whatever they could. My worker then screamed, 'Hey that’s Uncle Shaffie's money!' I quickly ran to call my boss from our branch across the road, but by then the nyaope boys had already snapped up the cash and most of them got away. We managed to confront one of the ‘nyaope boys’, but he refused to return the money,” Akber fumed.
“These nyaope guys are really getting out of hand now. They watch every single person and even if you give them charity, they will still steal from you. It's very ironic that these guys loiter outside our shops and we always help them if they ask for some money or food to eat. Shaffie allows them to sit outside the shop so that they might receive help from others. But just look, the first chance they got, they ripped us off. These hoodlums sit in many groups begging, but I think they also plan who their next victim for the day will be,” Akber continued.
The highly irate Flamingo manager, advised all shop owners not to allow the ‘nyaope boys’ to loiter near their shop doors because they pose a danger. “I think they monitor the movements of the staff to see whether money is being kept around. They then tell their fellow addicts about this. They also watch every person entering the shop and what they walk out of the shop with. Any chance they get, they won't think twice, so just be careful,” the highly irked Akber said.
Akber concluded by adding that they would be employing extra security for the benefit of their customers and that his boss, Shaffie, has vowed not to carry any cash with him, any longer, even if it is just a small amount.
The corner of Tangerine Street and 9th Ave, where the nyaope boys pounced on flying cash.
Akber Ebrahim, manager of Flamingo, advises other shop owners to be wary of the 'nyaope boys’.