Thieves made off with hundreds of pounds after stealing the safe from a takeaway in a sleepy Highland Perthshire town.
The owner of Aberfeldy’s Plaice in the Square believes the shop was deliberately targeted following the local Highland games because he had experienced a weekend of brisk trade.
Muhammad Ikram said the thieves damaged his chip shop in the process of taking the safe but he has vowed to continue trading as normal.
He said: “They broke in through the door. The till was broken and the safe is missing.
“There was about £350 in change in the till, along with one night’s takings, which was about £700 or £800.
“It’s quite a lot of money I still can’t get over it but we are still going to keep going.
“There was a Highland games that weekend and we got quite busy someone must have noticed and come and taken everything. I think that’s why we were targeted.”
He added that he wanted the council to install CCTV cameras in Aberfeldy to aid the detection of future crime.
“We are requesting that Perth and Kinross Council put up some CCTV cameras in town, so that next time anything happens police will be able to use the footage to help them. Currently we do not have a single camera in the square.”
Local councillor Mike Williamson said he was surprised to hear of the crime.
“It’s a strange one. Aberfeldy isn’t exactly a hotbed of crime,” he said. “It has its problems, like any place, but it’s not that bad.
“CCTV is certainly something that could be looked into.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Officers in Aberfeldy are investigating a break-in to Plaice in the Square fish and chip shop that happened between 11pm on Sunday August 9 and 10am on Monday August 10. Thieves made off with a safe and contents.”
Anyone who was in the area at the time and has information that could assist officers with their inquiries is asked to call police on 101. Information can also be provided anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.