Shocking raid on Bradford city centre phone shop caught on CCTV

Bismillah Phone and Accessories, on John Street, was hit by burglars twice on Sunday morning, and the suspects made off with nearly £25,000 in electronic merchandise after breaking a window to gain entry.

"I'm very upset," said Muhammad Faiz, owner of Bismillah Phone and Accessories.

"They've broken a window on the shop front and used a ladder to climb up to get in.

Burglary suspects gained access to Bismillah Phones through a broken window (Image: UGC)

"They've taken a lot of stock. It looks like it could be around £20,000 to £25,000 worth.

"We're a very hard-working business and we've secured everything, but honestly, it feels like they've broken my legs.

"Police came out and took pictures and gathered CCTV evidence of the suspects coming and going."

A spokesperson for the West Yorkshire Police said: "This has been reported to the police at 9.47am yesterday (Sunday) and is under investigation.

"Between 3am and 7am suspects smashed a window to gain entry and made an untidy search before returning later to do the same."

Caught on Camera CCTV images taken during burglary at Bismillah Phones. Individual reference numbers of the individuals shown in the footage are, from left, BD5978, BD5977, BD5976 (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Sunday's burlgary was not the first time that Mr Faiz has been through this.

He said: "I was burgled two years ago and three weeks there was an attempt to burgle the shop.

"Two years ago, I was in the same situation. They took so much stock at the time. I lost £35,000 to £40,000.

"To be honest, what can I do? Nothing can help, apart from having insurance."

"We're working very hard but all the time I feel like I'm losing."

Muhammad Faiz, owner of Bismillah Phones (Image: Newsquest)

Although after he got burgled in June 2020, Mr Faiz said his insurance shot up from £1,600 a year to £10,000.

"My insurance is going to be sky-high."

Mr Faiz also worries about the safety of employees at his business.

"We're not safe and we're not protected," he said.

"Police need to help shopkeepers. There need to be more patrols in the area, but I don't think they're going to do that.

"I'm scared now to tell you the truth."

Police have already released Caught on Camera footage of the burglary.

A police spokesperson said: "There are actually three images on Caught on Camera relating to this offence – BD5976, BD5977 and BD5978."

"Members of the public must not approach the suspects but should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote the name or reference number of the person shown."

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