Indian Mehfil owner Raj Sharma has been broken into, with money stolen and property damaged

The owner of a popular restaurant says he has been the victim of several break-ins in recent years with the latest causing huge damage. Watch the footage here.

Indian Mehfil owner Raj Sharma has operated in the Ipswich CBD since 2010. He said he is fed up with crime in the city centre after being targetted multiple times.

AN Ipswich businessman who has been set up in the city’s CBD for more than a decade says he is at his wit’s end after another break-in at his popular restaurant.

Indian Mehfil owner Raj Sharma has operated from the 143-year-old council-owned building on Brisbane Street since 2010 and said he has been targeted several times in recent years.

His two bottle shops in the CBD have also been broken into “numerous times”.

Mr Sharma rushed to the restaurant from Brisbane on Tuesday morning after he was alerted by staff.

He said it looked like the perpetrators had broken in through the roof overnight with wiring in the ceiling cut and security cameras broken.

“We couldn’t believe it,” he said.

“It’s a big mess. A really a big mess.

“It must have taken an unbelievable amount of planning to execute it.

“The manhole (in the roof) is broken. They then got into the office. It seems they knew we had a toolbox here. We have one in the restaurant.

“They’ve used those tools to get into the office and they’ve broken into the safe. The safe would have taken quite a while to get into. They’ve broken into both tills and cleaned them out.”

Tablets used for the business’ point of sale system were also stolen and Mr Sharma didn’t reveal the amount of money taken, only that it was a “sensational amount”.

Indian Mehfil’s Raj and Priyanka Sharma.

The back door was smashed from the inside and seemed to be the likely escape point, Mr Sharma said.

A large amount of alcohol taken from the bar was left out the back of the restaurant in a laundry bag, seemingly too heavy to take off with.

It is another cruel blow in a tough 18 months for the hospitality industry.

Indian Mehfil enjoyed a good weekend of trade after a snap three-day lockdown and there is hope on the horizon for CBD businesses as Ipswich City Council’s $250 million redevelopment progresses.

Mr Sharma said the council had acted quickly to address damage done to the property but it was heartbreaking having to go through this process all over again.

The restaurant was back up and running on Tuesday afternoon but significant money will need to be spent replacing stock and repairs.

Mr Sharma believes whoever broke in had knowledge of the restaurant and its layout.

“It seems even though we change certain systems it just seems to keep happening,” he said.

“We’re right in the middle of the town. Businesses need to be secured right in the middle of Ipswich. We have (council’s Safe City) cameras everywhere. Whether they come from our roof or behind or from the front, they’ve got to walk through the city.

Indian Mehfil has become a key part of the local community since opening a decade ago.

“I’m really afraid. It’s not the image we need to have in the Ipswich CBD. Council is spending a fortune to uplift it and there’s this sort of elements in the community, it’s just not good.

“Unless we have a gunman standing outside all night, we can’t really stop this.”

Mr Sharma urged anyone with information to contact police but said he was frustrated with not being kept in the loop of the how previous perpetrators were dealt with by police.

Incidents such as staff being threatened to hand over small items such as beers “keeps happening” at his Ipswich businesses.

“We need to deal with them heavily, throw the book at them,” Mr Sharma said.

“This is people’s hard earned money.

“We can’t have this ongoing. Every year, every month.

“I’ve had enough at the bottle shop. They can just grab whatever they like and run away. We can’t do anything. We’ve got to be better than that.”

A Queensland Police spokesman said investigations were ongoing.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

Originally published as Indian Mehfil owner Raj Sharma has been broken into, with money stolen and property damaged