An elderly Dundee shopkeeper has relived the terrifying moment he was threatened and robbed by a masked man wielding a knife “as big as his forearm”.
Mohammad Ashraf Khan, 69, was opening up Court Street News in Court Street alone just before 7am on Wednesday morning when the attack took place.
The incident was the second time Mr Khan has been attacked and robbed in the shop.
Man appeared ‘from nowhere’
“I was going to tackle him but I was injured in another robbery at the shop a couple of years back and ended up in hospital so I thought I’d better not,” he said.
“I had just pulled up the shop shutters and unlocked the door and was inside disabling the alarm system when the man appeared from nowhere.
“I think he was lying in wait for me and hiding just round the corner in a small hidden space at the side of the door.
“It made me a little scared to come back to open the shop the next morning but I just got on with it. I wasn’t hurt on this occasion.
“He was completely disguised with a scarf and a mask and he held the knife to me and demanded money.
“It wasn’t just a small knife, it was really big, the size of my forearm and he was holding it against me.
“It was obviously pretty terrifying and I had no idea what he might do – I thought he would stab me with it.
“I asked him what he was going to do to me but he just kept saying he was unemployed and needed money.”
Mr Khan said that the man told him to open the till and close the shop door, so no one could come in and see what was happening.
“He made me open the till, which takes quite a long time, and demanded I give him the money in it. I told him to do it himself and told him not to take it all,” he explained.
“He took handfuls of notes – I don’t know how much because I hadn’t locked up the night before but it was a lot of money.”
Stole scratch cards and booze as well
Mr Khan said the man also took a handful of scratch cards, a bottle of Baileys and a bottle of Grey Goose vodka. He claims that the man “demanded” a carrier bag to put all the items he had taken in.
He said that as soon as the man left the shop he called police.
He said that unfortunately neither the shop’s CCTV or the panic button were working on the morning of the robbery.
Mr Khan said that during the previous robbery he was attacked with a baton style weapon and received wounds that required hospital treatment.
He added: “This was another really scary incident.”
A spokesman for police said: “About 6.45am on February 17 a male suspect entered the newsagent, presented a knife towards the shopkeeper and made off with a quantity of money, a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka and a number of scratch cards.
“No injuries were sustained as a result of the incident however the shopkeeper was left understandably shaken.
“The suspect is described as male, late 20s in age, approximately 5ft 6in tall, of average build with short dark hair and he spoke with a local accent.
“He was believed to be wearing a black jacket, blue jogging bottoms, black gloves, a black scarf with a white checked pattern through it and carrying a white carrier bag.
“If you have any information that could assist us, particularly if you recognise the description of the male or if you have been offered for sale any of the stolen items please call 101 and quote crime reference number CR/4335/21.”
Anyone living in the local area who has private CCTV or dash-cam footage which may assist with the inquiry is urged to get in touch woth police.
