New World Rototuna ramraided for first time

Ramraids in Waikato may be dropping overall but that didn’t stop New World Rototuna falling victim to such an attack for the first time early on Sunday morning.

“Irritated, agitated, annoyed, angry,” is how owner Suresh Chimanlal described his reaction in an interview at the supermarket.

He said it was the first such ramraid attack involving a vehicle on his supermarket, although there had been a smash and grab incident about about a year ago.

Chimanlal had no cost estimate for the damage to doors driven through to gain entry, a Lotto counter and a tobacco products container smash-up but which the raiders failed to gain access to.

“If they get caught that’d be really good,” he said.

Checkout manager Greg Jardim said it appeared about half a dozen youths had first broken in and them gone back to get a car so they could ram the tobacco container.

He said he was “irritated obviously - they damaged a lot of things”.

Staff had been on site since about 5am and “we opened a bit late due to power issues”, Jardim said.

As workers repaired the damage to the smashed doors area, Jardim said he couldn’t give an estimate at this stage over how long the clean-up would take.

Customers Bob and Teresa Franks, of Huntington, were very sympathetic to the owner as they shopped on Sunday morning.

“It’s disgusting,” said Bob Franks. “It’s a sign of the times,” said Teresa Franks.

Bob Franks said he knew the owner, who he said made a big community contribution: “He supports a lot of things in this town... I feel sorry for them.”

Police said in a statement yesterday morning that a vehicle was located abandoned at the scene, and a second vehicle used to leave the area was located in Fairview Downs. Inquiries were ongoing and a scene examination was due to take place.

The attack comes not long after the Waikato Times revealed police figures showing ramraids in Waikato reduced from 137 in 2022 to 82 in 2023, and even fewer to date in 2024.

The figures, as of March 15, show in February there were two ramraids in Waikato and 13 nationally.

STEPHEN WARD/WAIKATO TIMES Greg Jardim, checkout manager Rototuna New World, in front of a damaged Lotto counter and a tobacco store, thought to have been the ramraiders’ main target.

The door area being repaired after New World Rototuna was ramraided.

Huntington resident Bob Franks outside ramraided New World supermarket in Rototuna.