Terrorised dairy owner departing
A Horowhenua dairy owner terrorised by thieves and robbers, including two men armed with a knife and a hammer, plans to give up his shop for a safer lifestyle.
Raj Pillai says it is not a case of if, but when another armed robbery will expose his family to the risk of trauma, injury and even death.
Pillai, 52, is ‘‘99 per cent’’ sure he and wife Sita will step away from the fear and anxiety of owning the Levin Discounter Shop when its lease comes up for renewal in December.
Originally from south India, the couple bought the business in 2017. They first considered walking away last year, when on August 3, two men marched into the shop brandishing a hammer and a knife.
Pillai feared for his life as the two bandits flashed their weapons, walked behind the counter and yelled: ‘‘Open the till, open the till.’’ They fled with $658 of tobacco products and $158 cash. The next day, it’s believed the same two men conducted a similar heist at the Levin Thirsty Liquor store, just 550 metres down the road.
Pillai’s wife refused to work following the attack, meaning he now manned the store for 65 hours a week.
‘‘She is really scared. We’re constantly living on the edge.’’
He estimates there is a theft every two weeks at his store, ranging from chewing gum and chocolate bars to cash and cigarettes.
Just last week, Pillai knew something was off when he saw two men standing suspiciously at the entrance. Before he could act, one of the men darted inside, swiped several packets of chips and sprinted off.
‘‘I don’t want to look on each customer as a thief,’’ the desperate business owner said.
‘‘But it’s not just about the money. It’s about our rights, but most likely I will now close the shop.’’
The Government is attempting to thwart weapon-weilding thieves by subsidising fog cannons, which, when activated, act as a deterrent by filling the room with dense fog in a few seconds.
Pillai isn’t sold on the cannons, saying they could increase the danger to shopkeepers.
‘‘The room becomes invisible and then you don’t know what’s going on. That isn’t going to solve the issue at all.’’
Before buying the dairy, Pillai had spent 25 years as a marine chief engineer on various ships. He plans to return to the shipping industry once the business is sold.
Graham Hurunui and Henare Tauhore appeared in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday, both facing two charges of aggravated robbery over the Levin Discounter Shop and Levin Thirsty Liquor robberies.
At the Levin Thirsty Liquor store, the duo allegedly entered the store disguised with bandanas and baseball caps and stole four bottles of liquor, valued at about $100. Hurunui, 19, is also accused of assaulting an inmate at Manawatu¯ Prison last year.
Hurunui allegedly approached the inmate, who was on the bench press in the exercise yard, and said: ‘‘I’ve been told you are a kiddy f ...... ’’. When the inmate denied the accusation, Hurunui is accused of punching him in the head several times, causing severe bruising and a black eye.
Hurunui and Tauhore will reappear in October.