Servo raid reward offer
THE owner of a service station ransacked in an armed robbery has established a 24-hour hotline and $15,000 reward in a bid to catch the thieves.
APCO director Peter Anderson has posted a $15,000 bounty for anyone who can provide information leading to the successful prosecution of offenders who smashed through a Lara petrol station to steal cash and cigarettes.
Mr Anderson said he was frustrated five offenders, who were captured on CCTV, had not been arrested more than a visit week after threatening to kill an employee.
“We have decided to post a $15,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution of offenders. There will be no questions asked,” he said.
“We see the reward as something that needs to be done as over the week there have been no arrests.”
CCTV footage shows offenders in a silver Mercedes pull up to the station at “very high speeds” at 1.40am when four men get out of the vehicle.
Two of the offenders have been described as being of African appearance, and another of European appearance.
The offenders used a hammer to smash into the station and reach a terrified employee who had barricaded themselves by a locked door.
The footage, lasting minutes, showed the men forcing the scared employee to hand over access to hundreds of cigarettes and cash.
Mr Anderson said he was desperate to protect his staff and franchisees who were left severely shaken after the attack.
“The police may see it as being vigilante-like, but we are hoping to encourage people to come forward . . . we want to do something that is going to stop invasions and stop service station thefts,” he said.
Mr Anderson said he was motivated to post the reward after learning about possible links between the Lara attack and similar thefts in Cam- berwell and North Balwyn.
North Balwyn resident Steven Karametos said the Mercedes used in the Lara raid had been stolen from his house a day earlier.
Mr Karametos said offenders broke into his North Balwyn home in the middle of Sunday night to steal keys and drove away with his wife’s Mercedes XS and another vehicle.
A day later that Mercedes was driven to Lara and then used on Tuesday night during an attempted aggravated burglary in Camberwell when it was immobilised by a victim.
Mr Karametos said he was very surprised his car had been driven from Melbourne to Lara and back.
“Obviously I was very surprised,” he said.
“This is happening on a regular basis and it seems like they are repeat offenders.”
Mr Anderson has urged anyone with information to contact his hotline on 0467 770 800.
Police are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.