The ransacked offices yesterday of Jamaica Amalgamated Cable System on Brunswick Avenue, Spanish Town, St. Catherine, after thieves broke in the previous night and stole several VCRs, TV sets and more than $300,000. - Winston SillTHIEVES EARLY yesterday morning, broke into Jamaica Amalgamated Cable Service offices, Spanish Town, St. Catherine, damaging equipment and stealing cash and appliances amounting to just over $1.5 million.
The break-in disrupted cable service to Spanish Town and its environs from as early as 2:30 a.m., after the vandals yanked off several cables attached to VCRs and subscription boxes.
"We lost 35 channels as a result of the break-in", Garry Parrish, regional manager of JACS, told The Gleaner. JACS's headquarters is Portmore Mall, St. Catherine.
He said that by about 4 p.m. yesterday, several new pieces of equipment were bought and normal service was restored to 30 channels. Five other channels are still not working and he said the company might have to get new equipment from overseas to restore those.
"Everything should be back to normal by the end of the week," Mr. Parrish said.
He said the thieves broke into the cable company by digging out a portion of wall holding the grill bolt. An employee who went to work at 6:45 noticed that the glass door was broken. The employee called him and the police were summoned.
Mr. Parrish said the thieves entered through the glass door and stole 12 VCRs, two receivers, $300,000, three television sets, three subscription boxes and more than US$500.
Bloodstains were on the broken glass door which suggested that one of the thieves might have been cut during the break-in. The police took a sample of the blood for further investigations. They did other forensic tests.
Up to late yesterday, Det. Insp. Alden Davis of the Spanish Town CIB, said the police had not identified any suspects.
