Machete gang target couple at restaurant
A COUPLE were robbed by a machete-wielding gang while waiting outside for their anniversary meal at a Brindleyplace restaurant in Birmingham.
Mohammed Miah and wife Yasmin, both 24, were targeted at Latin American restaurant Las Iguanas at 6pm last Wednesday.
Mr Miah had his £15,000 Rolex watch stolen and suffered a hand injury during a crime witnessed by hundreds.
The pair, who were celebrating their third anniversary, were targeted in the outside area.
Four men wearing skeleton masks and tracksuits approached their table, produced the machete and grabbed the watch. They fled on foot, with security staff giving chase.
Mr Miah, a restaurant worker himself, said the following day: “I’m still in shock, my wife has spent the day crying. I just keep on having flashbacks.
“My wife is really traumatised, she wanted to go to that restaurant and now blames herself.”
Police called to the scene checked on the victims’ welfare and then took them to their own car, as requested.
Mr Miah recounted the robbery, saying: “One put his hand on my arm to take my Rolex watch. I turned around and the guy came with a machete. The blade was eight inches long and it had a brown handle. I have an injured hand and I think that’s from the blade.”
He and his wife are still struggling to comprehend how such a public area as Brindleyplace with comprehensive CCTV coverage.
“If it happened on a street corner in a rough area, it’s a different story. But it happened at one of the most prestigious complexes with five-star restaurants. That’s what is shocking.
“It was daylight and there were hundreds of people present. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. Have we now reached a stage where you can’t go out in Birmingham wearing something expensive? It’s ridiculous.”
A staff member at Las Iguanas said: “It was terrifying but, sadly, that is life. I think they must have been watching the man because they went straight over and grabbed his watch.”