Knife used in attempted dairy robbery
For a man who has just had just been threatened with a knife by a would-be robber, Tauhara dairy owner Gurvanderpal Singh is cool,calm and collected.
Singh has owned the Taharepa Road, 4 Square for the last four years with his wife and in that time they have never been the victim of an armed robbery. But that all changed last week. On Monday September 12 a man entered the dairy, produced a knife, and demanded money.
‘‘He just walked in here, pulled out a knife and asked for money,’’ Singh said.
‘‘He was wearing just black clothes.
‘‘A black hoody and black canterbury pants and black and white shoes.’’
When confronted with the knife Singh was not scared or overly concerned.
‘‘Why should I be scared,’’ he said.
‘‘He’s the one doing something wrong.
‘‘He should be the one who is scared.’’
Police say the man entered the store just before 9pm on Monday.
‘‘The man, who was disguised and armed with a knife, threatened the shopkeeper and demanded money,’’ Taupo police investigator Dawn Nielsen-Void said.
‘‘He was unsuccessful in his endeavours as he was surprised by another person at the rear of the shop.’’
The man ran from the store and was last seen heading towards Elizabeth Street.
The offender is described as Maori, approximately 6ft tall with a slim build and is believed to be aged in his early mid-30s.
Singh’s CCTV cameras captured some images of the offender which police have released in the hopes it can trigger calls from the public about the incident.
At the time of the attempted robbery there were a number of people present at the shopping centre.
‘‘Police would appeal to those people to come forward as they may hve seen the incident unfold,’’ Dawn Nielsen-Void said.
‘‘If you recognise this male or if anyone has any information that might assist police enquiries into this robbery, they are asked to contact Taupo Police on 07 378 6060 or alternatively, information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.’’