Thieves now resort to 'powdering'published: Tuesday | January 15, 2008 Marlon Vickerman, Features Writer If you previously lived in an inner-city area and then relocated to the Greater Portmore area, you may conclude that you died and went to heaven, with the exception of the heat, of course. Other than that, it could easily make for one of the most peaceful places to live in St. Catherine. Crime free. That is, until you 'fall' asleep. Reports reaching The Gleaner are that thieves are preying on communities in Greater Portmore and these criminals are not using the daring and archaic break-in techniques. Their ways are much more scientific. They are sprinkling a sleep-inducing, chemical substance in the houses before making off with valuables. A 4 East (a Greater Portmore community) resident, opting not to have his name published, said he had a rude and unpleasant awakening late last year, after he discovered that his family home in the community was seemingly 'powdered' and robbed. Luckily, the substance and the criminals did not harm him or his wife and two children. Shaken up "I don't know if it's a powder or a liquid or if the thieves researched and came up with a home-made substance, but I could not believe that it had actually happened to me, it really left my wife shaken up," said the resident. "I know of people that it has happened to before on more than one occasion, but to find out that it had happened to me has left me in disbelief." He continued: "What they seem to do is apply the substance through spaces such as windows or even under the door and after you doze off, they force their way in." The resident said he knew something was wrong as soon as he arose the following morning. "When I woke up I had a discomfort in my throat and nose. Even though I was breathing freely, something still did not feel right," he said. "I then noticed that one of my windows was open and a door was open, which I don't recall leaving them like that, so I started searching for some of my belongings and discovered that two cellphones, jewellery and a sum of money were missing." No trace found He found no trace of any chemical substance believed to have been used by the culprits. An officer at the Portmore Police Station said head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) Detective Inspector Malcolm was the only authorised person who could comment on the matter, but would not be in as he is currently on sick leave. However, he briefly stated that they have received a number of reports of that nature where people refer to being 'powdered' then robbed. He continued that neither he nor any other officer has ever recovered any chemical substance at any of the scenes and hence, have no leads whatsoever in that regard. As a defensive measures against the 'powdery break-ins', some residents are reportedly leaving open containers of water close to the most vulnerable areas in their homes, possibly to absorb or dilute the substance, thus neutralising the effects. But even then, try not to sleep too deeply, and be sure not to leave the keys in the padlock after closing the grill. Be on the look-out and put all the necessary measures in place to ensure that you are not the next victim of these sleep-time robbers.