BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DELTA PETROLEUM’S General Manager (GM) Bevis Sylvester was the victim of a robbery yesterday (Feb. 3) while on a business trip to St. Kitts and Nevis.
Sylvester, speaking to SKNVibes, said he was visiting the Federation to conduct and finalise a number of business deals. He stated that his company would be holding its annual staff gathering in March, and to host the massive event they had sought St. Kitts as its venue.
The GM said after he had disembarked a LIAT’s aircraft at the VC Bird International Airport in Antigua and was proceeding through the security area, he remembered that he had rested his phone on one of the seats in the aircraft.
Sylvester explained that while in the aircraft he was in conversation with one of Tortola’s richest businessmen who was seated next to him, and they were the last passengers to disembark.
“We were the last two persons to exist the plane as we were both having an important conversation, taking into consideration that we are both from Tortola. As we were going through security I realised that my phone was not on me, so I immediately informed security that my phone was left on the seat. Now we were the last two persons and it was a mere two or three minutes I was out of the aircraft when I realised that my phone was not on me. I returned to the aircraft but found no phone and this left me devastated.”
He said his phone was a BlackBerry and it contains invaluable and tremendous information that are critically important in his day to day execution of his duties.
“It’s not just a BlackBerry phone, as I can always get another one. But it’s the information that was in that phone I am worried over. I have lost contact details and critically important information on a lot of persons, and some of the information is irreplaceable,” he stressed.
Sylvester is adamant that a LIAT’s employee picked up the phone, who he said refused to return it despite his many pleas.
“The phone was picked up by an employee of LIAT and this is not fair. You just can’t go around stealing people’s phone. This is inexcusable! I could understand if it were money or something like that, but to steal someone’s BlackBerry phone in this day and age is what I am really upset about.”
The Delta GM said he had an unsuccessful trip because the incident had affected a number of his planed meetings in the Federation.
“One of the LIAT employees at the airport was very embarrassed because they knew that the phone could have only been picked up by one of their staff. These people need to know that you can’t go around stealing like that. It’s not that I lost my phone but, rather, it was stolen from me; which means that I have some issues with persons stealing from the people who they are expected to serve and to provide a service to,” he said.
Sylvester admitted that it is highly improbable he would ever recover the phone because it was registered in Tortola. He is also positive that the person who stole his phone had already deactivated and converted it to their use.
He added that while the incident may be regarded as being small it has far reaching and long lasting impact. “No one wants to be visiting any country with the image and reputation that even to your own phone they would steal in a wink of an eye,” he said.
“Visitors want to know they can feel a sense of trust and confidence in those providing service to them and not to be guarded 24/7…because if they are not careful even them would be stolen. That is certainly not a comfortable and nice way to have to be living, especially for business people,” Sylvester opined.
When contacted, Desmond Brown, LIAT’s Corporate Communications Manager, refused to comment on the incident and stated that he would first need to be informed before issuing statement. He said it was the first time he heard about the incident.
