Suspected arsons at linked Scarborough restaurants leaves 80 out of work, owner says
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Some 80 people are out of work after back-to-back suspected arson attacks last week at two Scarborough restaurants operated by the same company, the owner says.
Siva Rapaka, who owns Shaaz Indian Cuisine and Bisi Bisi, a South Indian restaurant, said the businesses were victims of "cowardly attacks." The restaurants are both owned by Tanisi Brands.
"If we close our eyes, all we see is flames," Rapaka said.
"We cannot sleep. Every night we go to bed thinking, 'What's next? Which restaurant will [they] target next?'"
The fires happened at Shaaz Indian Cuisine on Friday and Bisi Bisi on Saturday, according to a news release by Tanisi Brands. Toronto police have said they believe the incidents are connected.
Images from inside Shaaz Indian Cuisine show a charred, extensively damaged interior. What is left of the ceiling is breaking apart, while the remains of the chairs and tables are covered in ash.
Rapaka joined employees from both restaurants at a rally in Scarborough on Thursday. They are calling for more funding for Toronto police after these attacks, but also "assert[ing] that we will not be pressured into selling our restaurants to 'undesirable buyers,'" the news release said.
Rapaka said he doesn't know why his businesses may have been targeted. He declined to say whether the restaurants have been extorted for money before.
Police say three male suspects wearing masks broke into Shaaz Indian Cuisine, located near Lawrence Avenue E. and Kennedy Road, around 2:45 a.m. on Friday.
Two male suspects wearing masks and dark-coloured clothing broke into Bisi Bisi, located in the same area, around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday. No one was in the restaurant at the time, police said.
Police have released an image of the two suspects in the second fire and the suspect vehicle, which they say is a silver SUV — possibly a Honda CRV — with a purple light on the driver's side of the dashboard.
4 employees were inside restaurant during first fire
Tanisi Brands employs around 400 people in Scarborough, Rapaka said. The company owns 30 restaurants across Canada, including six in the area, he said.
Some employees have said they want to return to their home countries after the attacks, said Janet Sherbanowski, general manager of both restaurants.
"Every one of them has said to me, ;this is Canada. We came here for a peaceful life, we came here for a better life for our families and our children,'" she said.
WATCH | Workers fled out back door of Shaaz Indian Cuisine after suspected arson:
Arson suspected after fire erupts at Scarborough restaurant
6 days ago
Duration 3:21
Toronto police continue to investigate a suspected arson after a fire damaged a restaurant in Scarborough on Friday. CBC's Clara Pasieka breaks down what we know so far.
Meanwhile, Rapaka said he no longer feels safe doing business in Scarborough. He said he moved to Canada six years with a "small Canadian dream" but is now questioning the future of his business.
"I don't know what to do next. Should I put in more work, should I keep on building my Canadian dream or should I just stop it here?" he said.
Among those at Thursday's rally was Rahil Khan, who was working in Shaaz Indian Cuisine when the fire broke out. Employees previously told CBC Toronto that four workers were inside the restaurant at the time.
Khan said he was with other staff in the kitchen area when one of his colleagues went to the front of the building. She saw two or three masked suspects and gasoline on the floor, he said.
When Khan joined her at the front, the suspects started the fire, he said. The workers all escaped out of the back door and called 911.
"We were terrified," he said.
Khan is now unemployed. He says he is struggling financially as he waits for the company to pay his salary while it deals with losses related to the fires.
Rapaka said he's thankful no lives were lost in the fires, and he's grateful that employees who were there at the time showed up to Thursday's rally.
"We spend 14 hours a day in a restaurant … This is family to us," he said.
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