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The owner of a popular curry house which was burgled twice in the space of three days said the burglar should have asked him for paid work if he was desperate.

Asjad Chowdhurty, who owns The Raj Pavilion in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, lost money and electrical items, including tablets, in the two raids on September 29 and a third raid on October 1.

CCTV captured a man wandering around inside the restaurant after breaking in through a door.

Asjad, 32, said it was “a bit scary” to watch the footage but has taken a kind-hearted approach to the alleged burglar’s struggles.

“If he had come to me and said ‘I am struggling or I want help’ I would do some good. I would have given him work. What he did has not only financially affected us, it is mentally, because we are struggling,” Asjad, who lives with his two children and wife in Tunbridge Wells, said.

The restaurant, which opened in 1998, is already hugely impacted by the cost of living crisis, Kent Live reports.

Dad-of-two Asjad said: “We’re living week to week. Gas, electricity, all these things are hitting us hard.

“Our gas bill has gone from £1,400 to £3,800. Everything is through the roof. When you face this sort of incident, it really puts you down. It’s really hard. This is what is bothering me.

“We have survived so far because of our loyal customers. I was excited to get the Christmas bookings. But when you see this, you think ‘what is going on?’ But I will not give up.”

Now the restaurant owner has warned other entrepreneurs. He said: “I don’t want anyone else to suffer. Everybody is struggling.”

Kent Police said a 43-year-old man from Tunbridge Wells was arrested by a plain-clothes officer in connection with the offences as well as in connection with the theft of a bicycle and a washing machine. He was later released “pending investigation”.

The force said it still works with retailers through the Shop Safe scheme. Shop Safe radios allow retailers to communicate with each other and are also monitored by police.

The joined-up communication helps with early identification and arrest of offenders.

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