Burglars raided a Walsall councilor’s house while he was in session, carrying thousands of pounds worth of jewelry and cash.
Waheed Rasab feared the perpetrators were still inside when he returned to his home on Brookhouse Road to find the front door broken and the property ransacked.
A number of Indian gold pieces were stolen, including four bracelets, three rings, four earrings and a necklace – most of which were given to his wife Musarat Rasab on their wedding day in 1987.
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They also made off with £ 800 cash saved for their little grandson, four bottles of perfume given to Ms. Rasab for her birthday, and two jackets.
He said the incident worsened when the police were absent the night it happened, although he told them he believed the robbers were still inside.
But he added he was touched by the response from the community, led by the large Park Hall Neighborhood Watch group, which rushed to support them.
Councilor Rasab said his wife was sick and fearful as a result of the incident.
West Midlands Police announced that they are investigating the break-in, which occurred on Sept.
Robbers broke into Councilor Waheed Rasab’s home in Walsall.
Two more attempted break-ins occurred that same night, but police said they are currently not treating them as connected.
Councilor Rasab said: “At first I thought you were still in the house. I parked and came running in and called my wife because she thought she was still in the house but she wasn’t.
“I ran back because I feared they might have a gun or a knife if they were still inside. I was afraid. I screamed and alerted the neighborhood.
“I wasn’t out to have fun, I did my duty to advise. People say, ‘What are councilors doing?’ We give our family time, our business hours, our free time, and we go to the meetinghouse.
“If there hadn’t been a meeting, I would have been at my wife’s home and we would have sat in my living room and there would be no break-in. They would have seen my car and us.
Councilor Waheed Rasab’s home in Walsall was broken into
“I was doing my public duty as a councilor and what I got was broken into. My wife lost her jewelry and the money that was saved for her grandchild. It’s heartbreaking.”
Rasab Councilor said he had been contacted by local residents about the number of break-ins and car thefts in the area. His daughter’s car was broken into last year.
He said, “People don’t feel safe in their own four walls. We need more police and a quicker response.
“It is worrying that people are not leaving their homes because they are afraid that their property will be broken into.
“Unfortunately I called the police and they didn’t show up until the next day. What we need is more police and a faster response. And if these intruders are caught, we will need tougher penalties.
“I’m not blaming the police, it’s a resource issue and I fully understand that. But the public doesn’t see it that way. They want a police presence and that they come, I’ll raise it.
“I had tremendous support from the community, the Park Hall Neighborhood Watch What’s app group – there were 100 people in front of my house in no time when it happened.
“I speak not only for myself, but for all who suffer. Lots of people are scared.
“I urge people to report any crime to the police so they can have a success story and see it.”
Neighborhood Watch Chairman Amit Verma said, “Waheed’s incident was very sad because the people who came here weren’t your average opportunistic burglars.
(LR) Bally Sohal of Park Hall Area Neighborhood Watch, Alderman Waheed Rasab, Amit Verma of Park Hall Area Neighborhood Watch.
“It was planned towards the area in general. They met three residents in the same area.”
Foreign Secretary Bally Sohal said: “This is a terrible event and you could have been at home. You must have seen a lot of cars after the incident, but were they bothered? No. They went to other addresses.
“They’re blasé. They don’t worry about what might happen to them. Isn’t the deterrent strong enough? People are scarred by such crimes for life. Their lifestyle, their behavior, they will always look over their shoulders.” .
“It’s a mental situation. How you deal with the aftermath. We’ll be here to calm you down as a community. We can support you.”
BrumWish 2021 aims to bring thousands of Christmas gifts to young children in need across our city – the homeless, the needy, children in care and children who have little.
This year’s appeal is bigger and better than ever – because we’ve teamed up with our partners at # Toys4Birmingham, including Thrive Together Birmingham, the Birmingham Playcare Network, the Edgbaston Foundation and Birmingham Forward Steps.
Are also involved Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Barnardo’s, Spurgeon’s Children’s Charity, the Springfield Project in Sparkhill, St Paul’s Community Development Trust and Your Local Pantry, which operates food centers in 12 locations in Birmingham and the Black Country.
Three fundraising days held in Edgbaston to receive new and almost new donations of gifts and books have now ended.
Here you can buy a gift from the #Brumwish Amazon wish list.
You can also donate money that goes to a charity fund to fill in gaps or buy special toys for children with additional needs. This is the link to donate.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Officers were asked to participate in the incident immediately but were rerouted to another emergency after we were told the intruders were no longer there.
“We visited the person who was broken into the next day. The investigation is ongoing.
“As the nights get darker, we usually see an increase in break-ins. Our investigation team is investigating a number of break-ins in the Walsall area, but we are not currently treating them as related.
“Walsall detectives are currently working with investigators in Sandwell and Birmingham to identify and apprehend intruders.
“Our local neighborhood officials do more patrols during the times when the most break-ins occur. We also use marked and unmarked police cars to deter, prevent and identify potential intruders.
“If you have any information about break-ins or suspicious people in your area, please let us know. We will take action. ”
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