The projector room where the pieces of equipment have been stolen

The police are investigating an incident whereby thieves broke into the projector room at Deepam Cinema on Saturday night (March 20) and stole R30,000-worth of equipment.

The stolen items include two DVD players, a digital video camera and a number of original DVDs of new releases.

The proprietor of Deepam Cinema, Mr Subash Pillay, said that the thieves broke into the projector room via a narrow glass window and then forced their way into the management’s office where the pieces of equipment were. He said there were also signs that they had attempted to steal the projector.

He said since there were no signs that the doors leading into the cinema itself had been damaged, it was highly probable that the thieves had remained hidden inside the theatre hall after viewing the last movie show at 9.00 p.m. He said there was also a high possibility they had spent the whole night inside the cinema.

According to Mr Pillay the only way the thieves could have made their way out was by waiting for the entrance door to be opened by staff in the morning.

Mr Pillay has described the incident as appalling and said he was deeply concerned that the cinema was being targeted in such a malicious way, since it was a well-frequented spot in town, by hundreds of people. 

According to Mr Pillay, the cinema has also been the target of other break-ins in the past year, following which the doors of both the cinema and projector room were reinforced.

As a result of these incidents, the company, he said, would be recruiting the assistance of private security companies to further boost security on its premises.

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