Bookstore director warns against fraudulent second-hand dealers

Managing Director of Charran's Bookstore Vivek Charran is urging parents to exercise extreme caution when buying second-hand school books from roadside vendors for the reopening of the school term next week as some of the books may have been stolen from storage warehouses or shoplifted from reputable businesses.

Speaking with Newsday this morning, Charran said while most second-hand vendors were legitimate businesspeople, some were involved in the theft of books and stationery from stores. He said it was cause for concern among businesses during such challenging economic times and said an increase in robberies has prompted many store owners to hire police officers to protect customers and reduce chances of robberies.