By Susan Mohammed

Copyright trinidadexpress

A Malabar woman is still shaken up after the apartment she and her spouse occupied was broken into last week.

During the home invasion, the intruders made off with jewelry, cash, groceries and other valuables.

The couple remained asleep throughout the ordeal, even as the intruders entered their apartment, ransacked the rooms, and rummaged through their belongings at the back of the home.

It was only when they awoke the next morning that they discovered their valuables missing, and saw items strewn across the back of their property.

Yesterday, the Express spoke with the wife, who withheld her name to protect her identity.

She said that she has not slept properly since the home invasion and was startled by every sound inside the house.

The victims occupy a two-bedroom apartment on the ground floor of an apartment building, and were puzzled that only their apartment was hit by the bandits.

“They passed four apartments before they got to ours. We slept through the entire incident. The police officers are assuming that the bandits used some kind of chemical and sprayed us while we were asleep. They took our personal items to the backyard and took what they wanted, leaving the others that were not important. They took our cash and groceries. We found our passports, my laptop, keys, and other items in the backyard. We are wondering if they intended to return to pick up the other things that were left outside,” she said.

The woman said her husband is employed as a prison officer, and wondered whether he was the target, as some of his colleagues have fallen victim to criminal schemes; however, the intruders did not harm him.

“They ransacked one of the bedrooms, but did not come into ours, where we were sleeping. They had the opportunity to confront us, but they did not. But what if we had gotten up and there was a confrontation? Why us? Did they have guns? This has left me having sleepless nights and unanswered questions. I am afraid to walk outside of my bedroom at night because I wonder if someone might be outside my door,” she said as she choked back tears.

“I am so traumatised, and while the police officers are working on the case, who is there to help victims like myself out of the trauma? I know the authorities say there had been a reduction in crime, but I do not see it. We who are law-abiding citizens are fighting to make ends meet in our home and when the criminals violate our sense of security, we are left second-guessing everything about our movements. And even worse, they know who I am, but I do not know who they are,” the woman said.

Officers of the La Horquetta Police Station are trying to get CCTV footage as investigations continue into the incident.