The Kiwi-Indian manager of a South Auckland superette is reeling from shock even days after his dairy was robbed twice in less than 12 hours.
Robbers targeted Finlayson Superette at Clendon Park in Manurewa on July 31, 2023. Talking to The Indian Weekender, Gurpreet Singh, who has been managing the shop for more than eight years, said, "A gang of knife-wielding five youngsters, including one female, targeted our store at around 10.15am on Monday.
“They managed to carry away three cash tills. Little did I know that within 12 hours, the store would be targeted yet again by another armed intruder, at around 6pm.”
Singh revealed his immediate concern was the safety of his pregnant wife, who was also working in the store at the time of the first attack.
“I swiftly moved her to a secure storeroom and activated the panic alarm as the robbers ransacked the tobacco cabinets and made off with all three cash tills, containing over $1,000. The store was left in disarray, with broken counters and chaos all around.”
The robbers managed to escape, and though their car was later found nearby, the culprits remained unidentified as of August 3.
As Singh was recovering from the traumatic incident, another nightmare unfolded. A man in his 30s walked into the store, pretending to be a customer, whipped out a knife and approached the counter.
This time, Singh reacted quickly to jump over the counter and call the police. The assailant hurried away empty handed, but the trauma left him deeply concerned about his safety and the well-being of the business.
“We definitely need to have stronger laws that would serve such offenders right. After these incidents, I started fearing that any customer could potentially be an armed robber.
“This is such a sad affair that one can't even work peacefully, and is under the constant stress of being attacked, robbed, or hurt. I feel India is much safer.”
Siva Kilari with Gurpreet Singh
Siva Kilari, the National Party's candidate from Manurewa for 2023 general elections, met Singh on Tuesday, and expressed his concern at the deteriorating law and order situation in New Zealand.
Talking to The Indian Weekender, he said, “NZ is going backwards. We need to get NZ back on track. The situation is so sad, and it shouldn't be like this. People are living in fear, especially our Indian community. They are being targeted a lot despite working so hard. We must make Manurewa safer. I'll make sure to keep campaigning hard for this.”
The dairy in question has had a fateful past. On January 25, 2008, a young student lost his life in a botched robbery at the store. The perpetrator, a young man, was later acquitted of murder on the grounds he was criminally insane at the time of the incident.
Counties Manukau Police are investigating the latest incidents and, at this point, are treating both matters as unrelated incidents.
A police statement read, “Understandably, the store worker is shaken by both incidents, and we have ensured there is support available. Police are asking anyone who might have information on the aggravated robbery to contact police on 105, quoting the file number 230731/8777.
“Anyone who saw the man from the second incident, last seen heading onto Templeton Place, should contact 105, quoting the file number 230731/0305. Information can also be provided anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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