Afghan restaurant in East Van burglarized 3 times in 5 months, owners say

The owners of a home-style Afghan restaurant in East Vancouver are reeling after their business was broken into once again this week – marking the third burglary in just five months.

Surveillance cameras captured someone breaking the lock at Zarak, grabbing the cash register and fleeing the Main Street restaurant in the early morning hours on Wednesday.

Co-owner Hassib Sarwari told CTV News he received an all-too-familiar phone call informing him of the latest break-in hours later.

"I just stayed in bed for an hour watching the video," he said. "So my day did not start well."

Zarak opened last year, with Sarwari’s mother cooking the meals from her own recipes. Sarwari said they have been warmly received by neighbours, but that the business has also been targeted repeatedly – and not just overnight.

One on occasion, he said someone robbed the restaurant while it was still open.

"A gentleman walked in and handed a note to one of my business partners saying he had a gun and to give him all the money," Sarwari said.

"It's very frightening. My message, from personal experience, would be to be safe – don't engage, it's not worth it."

The Zarak owners decided to share the news of their latest break-in on social media this week, and said the calls and messages of support they've received from the community has gone a long way toward lifting their spirits.

"We're quite blessed to be in this neighbourhood," Sarwari said. "Someone dropped off flowers."

But between the broken lock, stolen cash register and an iPad that was damaged during the theft, the owners estimate they're facing a bill of approximately $1,000 for Wednesday's theft.

Sarwari said he knows others are struggling financially as well.

"We live in challenging times," he said. "The reason that we shared this particular incident with everyone was mainly to bring awareness to stay safe. The city can be very unpredictable."

CTV News has reached out to the Vancouver Police Department for more information on the break-in, including whether authorities recognized the suspect in Zarak's surveillance video.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Shelley Moore 

 

 

 

 

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