Belize City Businesswoman Is Victim of Home Invasion

There was a brazen attack on a food vendor at her home on Park Street in the Lake Independence area on Thursday night. It happened just after seven p.m., and the assailants were so bold that at first, the victim did not think it was a home invasion being carried out – that is until she saw a gun and the attackers became impatient. When the horror was over, the shaken woman realized that she had been robbed of cash and valuables worth over three thousand dollars. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story in this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Tricia Castillo, a food vendor and hair-braider, was taking a nap at home shortly after seven on Thursday night when two fair-skinned intruders pulled open her front door and held up her nephew, another person and her.

Voice of: Tricia Castillo, Victim of Home Invasion

“When I see dehn buss through my room then I get up. I mi soh frighten, my hand tremble when dehn tell me tek off all my jewelry. I couldn’t even tek dehn off, I pop dehn off. Then the next one pahn my hand couldn’t come offa my hand soh he tek it offa my hand and ih seh weh paat the money deh, weh paat all the money deh. When I tell dehn I nuh rememba weh I put the purse he point the gun at me.”

But even after the pair of thieves had found and stolen Castillo’s purse, her cell phone, bank cards and all her jewelry, they weren’t finished.

Voice of: Tricia Castillo

“My nephew he mi in deh and deh ker all ah deh inside ah the room and tell she get pahn the bed and tell deh put down unu head, Dehn nuh want we recognize dehn faces right. Eena the room deh dehn start dash down everything fi find – I nuh know weh dehn come look fa. He mi di get hasty, yoh know deh kinda way, hasty. I start to tremble, I start to tremble, I start to tremble.”

The incident came on the heels of a recent illness that Castillo says she is just now recovering from. She says that the persons behind the hold-up must have known exactly which house to go.

Voice of: Tricia Castillo

“People deh deh di watch yoh and sometimes yoh nuh even know. People watch yoh and watch yoh. Ih just nuh seem right fi somebody just walk eena my house like afta all dehn time I live da back ya cause da nuh just now I live da back ya.”

Castillo says it will take her a while to recover the losses.

Voice of: Tricia Castillo

“Let’s seh if you have six steps fi you climb, fi you complete one single one ih tek so many months. And then I work hard. The hours weh I get up, nobody nuh wa get up. I get up, mek my waffles, my Johnny cakes, my stuff jacks, my powda bun, my juice, my coffee, everything and I lef from out ya.”

The distraught woman cautions others who might not be conscious that they’re being monitored.

Voice of: Tricia Castillo

“Everybody else weh di listen to this and weh see weh I gone tru last night unu mek sure unu keep unu door close because when ppel walk in pahn unu, unu can’t do nothing.”

Marion Ali for News Five.