Man threatened with gun during masked raid on shop

A shopkeeper was threatened by a masked robber armed with a pistol.
Haider Afzal was threatened at gunpoint by robbers who targeted his shop, Rupyal Stores.  (d631a452)Haider Afzal was threatened at gunpoint by robbers who targeted his shop, Rupyal Stores.  (d631a452)
Haider Afzal was threatened at gunpoint by robbers who targeted his shop, Rupyal Stores. (d631a452)

Haider Afzal was frozen with fear as the gun was pointed at him and the man warned he was not “messing about.”

The 22-year-old was working behind till at Rupyal Stores in Westtown when the robber went into the shop on at about 8.20pm on Saturday evening.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After going up to the counter, he said: “Give me all of the money out of the till. I’m not messing about – this is a real gun.”

Mr Afzal said he was dumbstruck at first by what was happening.

He said: “At first I was scared but I was just stood there looking at him – I was very much confused.”

A friend of Mr Afzal’s was also behind the till with him.

“I looked at my mate and he just nodded at me to say give the money to him,” he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was a real pistol. I’ve never had this kind of experience in all my life.”

Mr Afzal (right) emptied the till and the gunman escaped from the shop in Hanover Street with £160.

“Nobody said anything,” he added. “We couldn’t speak – it was all that sudden. It was terrifying.”

Mr Afzal, who lives in Savile Town, has only been working for the family business for three months.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said he was determined to carry on running the business with his sister, and had been heartened by the reaction of people in Westtown.

People have been asking how I have been managing to keep on working, but you can’t give up on my life because of what other people do,” he said.

“Lots of people have shown their support for us. It’s a really mixed community round here and lots of people have come round – I really wasn’t expecting that.”

The robber is described as white and was wearing a navy blue short-sleeved sports top over a hooded jumper.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was also wearing dark bottoms and a black facial covering.

Det Insp Ian Thornes, of Kirklees CID, said: “Obviously the victim was shaken up by the incident.

“It was a Saturday night and it could have been quite busy at the time.

“There was probably a person waiting around for a quiet time in the shop before he went in.

“Then he’s run away so someone will have probably seen something.”

Call Kirklees CID on 101 if you have any information.

Related topics: