Coffee Guru at Casey Shopping Centre was again the victim of a ram-raid: Picture: Mackenzie Watkins.
Coffee Guru in Casey is the latest Canberra business to be the victim of a ram-raid – but it’s not the first time the cafe has been the target.
Coffee Guru had its storefront smashed in the early hours this morning (22 October). CCTV shows that the cafe’s front windows were rammed into by a car.
The owner of the Casey Coffee Guru franchise, Menika Chhetri, has owned the cafe since March 2025, but before she took over, the shop had already been rammed on at least two previous occasions.
When Menika arrived at 5:25 am on Wednesday to open up, a regular customer was already waiting in the carpark to inform her of the break-in.
Surprisingly, nothing was stolen from the cafe.
“They haven’t stolen anything from inside. When I came in, I went directly to the counter to see if what was [in the till] yesterday was still there. The money was the first priority, and no money was stolen. I assume they wanted to come into the centre [through the cafe].”
Menika’s husband called the police, and after arriving at 7:30 am, the police called for the forensics team to come in, too.
Smashed windows from Coffee Guru’s storefront. Picture: Facebook.
Insurance will cover most of the damage, and the Casey Market Town shopping centre has agreed to cover any excess. It’s not only the front windows that have been smashed; there is structural damage to the frame too.
Menika worries about both her and her customers’ safety.
“It’s not safe for not only us, but our customers too. Most of our customers come early in the morning, around 5 am, and we usually come in earlier to open. It’s not safe for those who open the cafe. I was on my own here today, and as a woman, I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself or other customers [if it had happened when we were here]”.
The owner says that her current plan is to “get some timber and cover the front area, and then put some plastic across the front so we can at least open up again tomorrow”.
Coffee Guru repairs are underway. Picture: Mackenzie Watkins.
Menika plans to send messages to some of the other owners of the nearby shops to set up alarms and cameras so that they can hopefully prevent any further crimes.
Menika has also had a conversation with the shopping centre’s management team about installing bollards across shop fronts to hopefully stop further crimes.
Her message to other shop owners is clear: “Be safe, and take the correct preventative measures. At the very least, get insurance”.
Investigations are ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers via their website or by calling 1800 333 000. Please quote P2391864 when doing so.
Pete McMahon you should take that up with Kate Carnell, since she was the chief minister at that… View