TERROR IN THE NIGHT

Looting Gang Misses Grow House by One Number and Raid Innocent Party

SINNATAMBI Sarvanandan was surprised when the house next door was
busted as a marijuana grow operation three weeks ago. He was even more
surprised last week when a weed-seeking gang of seven masked men broke
into his Scarborough home in the middle of the night.

Kitchen Knife

Awakened by his wife after she heard someone come through the front
door of their Candlebrook Cres. home at 4:30 a.m. Saturday,
Sarvanandan got up and stumbled through the dark into his living room
when he was told, "Don't move! Police."

But when he flicked on the living room light, seven men wearing ski
masks and one carrying a kitchen knife stood before him in shock.

Sarvanandan said he immediately realized they had come to raid the
grow house next door, but mistakenly chose his home.

"I said, 'No, no, no, this is the wrong house ... get out, get out',"
Sarvanandan said.

"(They) were Oriental. They were not threatening. I was moving toward
them and they were backing off.

"It was a stupid move. I never thought about it, but I was so angry."

Sarvanandan said one of the seven men had gone down into the basement,
but another man who appeared to be the leader called him back when
they realized their mistake.

"It was just like the movies. They go out of the house, jump into
their van, and just gone."

Toronto Police suspect that the gang was out to steal
hydroponically-grown marijuana plants worth $1,000 each that had been
growing next door.

Toronto Police drug squad raided and dismantled marijuana grow houses
at 43 and 47 Candlebrook Cres. on Nov. 4.

Det.-Sgt. Tom Archibald, who heads the 42 Division major crime unit,
said the middle-of-the-night invasion of Sarvanandan's home
illustrates the dangers that marijuana grow houses pose to average
citizens.

Sarvanandan, who works full time as a bank clerk and at several other
jobs "to make ends meet," is thankful he was home at the time with his
wife, mother-in-law and 16-year-old son.

"I don't know what they would have done," he said.

Sarvanandan said he cannot identify any of the intruders.

Live in Peace

Sarvanandan said the community has to speak out about the problem,
politicians should demand action and police should have more powers.

"These people -- they go there, get a fine, or come out of jail after
a month or two and they are doing it again," he said.

Sarvanandan said he and his family emigrated from India to Canada
because they wanted to live in peace.

"Now we have this ... the community has to stand up. We all keep quiet
and say, 'No, it's none of our business, we don't want to get
involved,' but it is our business.

"What is it going to be like for our kids?"