The Amani Restaurant in Fugalei was broken into last Saturday night by a thief who dashed off with $600 tala cash and the business' owners are appealing for help to identify the suspect.

Restaurant Manager So'o Tevita confirmed the break-in when contacted by the Samoa Observer on Wednesday.

She said an unidentified man broke into their premises last Saturday night and removed the till of the restaurant’s cash register which still had some cash and fled.

“That was last weekend at about 7:40pm, that's the exact time he just only broke in about three minutes and then he just took the till with some cash inside and he was just gone," Mrs. Tevita said.

"I put some mesh wire on the window because that’s how he got in, [through] the window, he just ripped off the screen wire, took off the windows and he hopped in.

“So I put some mesh wire on the windows and I thought that's secure enough for the time but the break-in last Saturday night was from the backdoor.”

The Police have done their investigation and a photo of the suspect, which was caught on the restaurant’s security camera, has been posted on Facebook for the public to help identify him.

"The guy [policeman] that's in charge of the case told me to post it and see if anyone will know the guy," Mrs. Tevita said. "So far I haven't got any news."

But last Saturday night’s break-in was not the first as Mrs Tevita revealed that in a previous case the thief stole $3000 cash and they were only able to retrieve $1000 from the theft.

The criminal’s action last Saturday evening couldn’t have come at a worse time for the business, as Mrs Tevita says Saturdays are normally very busy for them, enabling them to generate more income compared to the other days.

Nevertheless, the family is now planning on securing their backyard by installing more lights and placing security cameras outside.