A single mum-of-one revealed her frustrations after cruel teenagers targeted her car multiple times over the span of just a month.
Drumcondra woman Urufa Abedin said the stress of the situation has resulted in her "crying every day".
Urufa's troubles started in May when she bought a new car for herself to drive her baby daughter to her creche.
Read more: Footage shows thief almost hit Dublin woman with her own car as they speed away
She told Dublin Live: "I bought it out of necessity. I have a daughter who is a year and a half old and I need to take her to the creche.
"My neighbour and I went to buy the car and we parked it right next to his car on the next street over.
"The next day, he called me asking if I moved my car and parked it somewhere else. I told him I hadn’t. I thought that was strange so I went down with my car keys and the car was nowhere to be found."
Urufa immediately called the guards and was horrified after learning they found her car abandoned in Ballybough in a terrible condition.
"They told me it was undrivable. Whoever stole it had taken out the front bumper, the lights, and the ignition switch was completely broken."
The mechanic said it would take over €1,000 at the minimum to fix the car which came as a big blow to Urufa who earns just €2,000 a month.
She added: "I am a single mother going through a painful separation. I need to pay rent, my daughter’s creche fees, and other bills. I already paid about €4,500 for the car.
"I even asked how much I’d get if we were to scrap the car and he said I’d only get €1,500."
Since it was a Japanese import car it took Urufa several weeks and €400 more to get the parts.
Urufa was relieved to get her car back but her happiness was short-lived as her car was targeted a second time the night she brought it home again.
On the morning of Tuesday, June 14, Urufa was horrified to find the door to her car was open and the left side mirror was broken.
She said: "They also tried to rob the ignition again but they didn’t succeed.
Read more: Cheapest fuel in Dublin today including Crumlin and Ballyfermot stations
"I called the guards immediately. The guards told me to just sell my car. But I said if I sell my car that’s not going to stop them from doing the same thing to someone else."
That night Urufa parked her car right outside her home and stayed by her window hoping to catch the culprits.
She said: "Shortly after 10.30pm I saw a couple of teenage lads, around 16 to 17 years, at my car.
"I opened the window and I shouted at them asking what was going on. They shouted back at me and ran away."
She called the guards who said they would send someone around to check.
"I went off to bed after staying up until 12.30pm. I woke up in the middle of the night at around 1.48am and I saw my car’s light was on.
"I was so scared because it was so late but I went down to see what was happening. I rang the guards again. They told me they were going to send someone but nobody showed up.
"I rang them again 30 minutes later and they told me nobody was available at the moment."
Read more: Irish driver arrested by Spanish police after being caught speeding at 285kmh
Now Urufa is using a rental car provided by her insurance company to get around the city.
She said the stress is taking a toll on her everyday life.
She said: "I can’t even express what I’m going through. I cry every day. I'm struggling so much."
A garda spokesman confirmed all three incidents.
He said: "Gardai are investigating the theft of a car on Richmond Street between 17-23rd May 2022. No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing.
"Gardai are investigating an incident of criminal damage of a car, that occurred on the North Circular Road overnight on 13th June 2022. No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing.
"Gardai are investigating an incident of criminal damage that occurred on the North Circular Road, at approximately 1:30am, Wednesday 15th June 2022. No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing."
Read more: Woman injured in carjacking as two men arrested after crashing into garda car
Read more: Drivers can save money on petrol and diesel with help of an unfamiliar button
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
