7:00 am, November 12, 2022
A Scottish used car dealer has spoken out in a bid to track down a gang who ransacked his business twice in as many nights.
Gurinder Singh, of Solid Cars in East Lothian, saw his showroom turned into a scene of destruction after the yobs broke in on consecutive days.
The group smashed windows, tore down metal fencing and broke several doors as they bombarded their way through the Wallyford Industrial Estate site, where the showroom has been for six years.
They also stole close to every set of car keys as well as three vehicles, which have since been recovered by police, Edinburgh Live reported.
On the first occasion, the thieves broke into the site between 1am and 2am on October 31 before switching off the CCTV.
The incident was reported to police, who issued a public plea for information but the gang struck again on November 1.
Singh, who says the experience has left him shocked and stressed, hopes the perpetrators are caught before they can target another business such as his.
He said: ‘I don’t want to be targeted again. I don’t know why they attacked our business. We’ve never had anything like this happen before.
‘There might be others in the community at risk.
‘They were in the building for three hours the first night and they broke three doors. Then they tore out our fence.
‘That’s not an easy job – it takes time and effort. It obviously doesn’t feel great, but there is not much to do about it.
‘We hope the police do something and catch the people responsible.’
The two incidents are now under investigation by police, who are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Det Con Steven Neill, from Dalkeith CID, said: ‘We are carrying out extensive inquiries into this break-in and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
‘If you believe you can assist our inquiries, or have potential CCTV or dashcam footage from the area, please call police on 101, quoting incident 0834 of 31 October.
‘Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you wish to remain anonymous.’
The investigation continues.
All images copyright © Gurinder Singh and used with permission.
