Gangs robbing condos

Gangs armed with guns and knives are repeatedly robbing 40/60 condo projects which are close to completion.
Just this last month over ten robberies occurred at condo sites located in Bole Bulbula, Hayat and Megenagna sites; places where over 5,000 houses are being built. The bandits came at night and stole over one million birr worth of electrical wire and steel.
When Capital visited a condominium site in Megenagna known as ‘tourist site’ last Wednesday a store key had been cut and over 300,000 birr of electric wire was stolen from it.
Meaza Asrat a store keeper at tourist site told Capital that a group of gang members came in a mini bus, cut the key with saw and stole the electric wire.
“The guard told us that a group of people came with car and flashed a light in the guards faces so they couldn’t  identified the men who were behind the crime and then the gangs broke into the store and stole the wire and put it in their car and drove off.’’
She added that the gangs come twice a week and that the police don’t stop them even though they have reported the robberies.
Another engineer at the same site told Capital one of the guards was injured trying to stop the gangs from entering.
In a mid-week press conference the Addis Ababa Police commission said robbery is widespread in the city and majority of the crimes are committed by people who were recently released from prison.
The commission advised residents to expose the gangs to the police.
In related news Vice Mayor of Addis Ababa, Takele Uma who visited the 40/60 condo projects said the finished houses will be transferred to beneficiaries till the end of October.
He urged site engineers to finish the projects on time.
The site engineers expressed concern that electric power and some input materials are in short supply which makes it difficult for them to do their job properly. Takele promised his administration  will work tirelessly to overcome their challenges.
Recently Capital reported that the Addis Ababa Saving House Development Enterprise is in discussions with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) to transfer 17,000 condos which are in the verge of being completed in Gerji, Bole Bulebula, Hayat  Meri and Summit.
Apparently   the enterprises have the responsibility to accomplish all the construction of the homes   but to answer the high demand of the beneficiaries the finishing work might be transferred if CBE agrees.