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Rescue, forensic officers accused of looting Westgate mall
[Shabelle] Security officers involved in the rescue operation at the Westgate mall and those in the ongoing forensic investigations, are on the spot over alleged looting in some of the shops.When shoppers and merchants returned to the mall over the weekend to sift through the rubble and retrieve what was left of their belongings abandoned during the attack, they found that most of their premises had been vandalised. The shop owners alleged the forensic investigations were being conducted unprofessionally as it is standard procedure for Sherlocks to record their activities through video and still pictures to preserve evidence, but in this particular case, such basic procedures were shelved. "There were instructions that we should not record anything as officers moved from shop to shop searching for evidence," said an officer in confidence, as he alluded to officers helping themselves to what's on shop shelves, cash drawers and safes. Other survivors were in shock after seeing what was left of their property. Mr Manish Mashru, 43, went with family members to the mall to retrieve his car that was left parked on the rooftop. His 16-year-old daughter Neha was killed in the attack as she participated in a cooking competition on the roof of the mall. His wife, who had accompanied their daughter to the event was shot in the face but survived. When he went to the Westgate mall yesterday to get the vehicle his wife and daughter drove on that fateful Saturday, he was escorted to the rooftop parking by police. The back window of his car was totally shattered by bullets and there were bullet holes on doors with shopping bags left untouched in the back seat. Dr Pushpa Sachdeva, whose dental clinic-The Smile Specialists, was on the fourth floor of the mall, went to the mall with dozens of empty boxes to retrieve whatever she could from her practice "We are just trying to salvage anything we can," she said. Mr Sachdeva was with a group of nurses and doctors, but was only allowed into the building with three other people. Alfred Ng'ang'a, a spokesperson for Nakumatt supermarket, said that it was unlikely that any personal items would be retrieved, as nearly everything in had been destroyed by fire. "There is not much inside that we can salvage," he said. "Everything had been destroyed in the attack." Nganga said that assessors where still inside trying to determine the total costs of the damage. Despite the bleak outlook and the extensive destruction, many store owners and shoppers still returned to Westgate to pick up the pieces of their lives that were left behind. Posted by: Fred 2013-10-01 |
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