A brave shop owner put his own life on the line to protect his shop Maypole Stores on the High Street, Welford-on-Avon from armed robbers with hammers.<\/p>\n
The incident took place on Monday 22 January at around 8.20pm<\/p>\n
Mr Raj Sandhu 58, who has run the shop for 25 years, was emptying the cash machine when the robbers entered<\/p>\n
CCTV footage shows how robbers armed with hammers attempted to steal money from the corner shop attack Mr Sandhu as he bravely fights back to protect his shop.<\/p>\n
The thieves then pick up the cash off the floor while Mr Sandhu is seen shouting at them to leave.<\/p>\n
Mr Sandhu followed the robbers out of the shop once they left, they had taken a quantity cash and got in to a Mercedes 4×4 that then went towards Bidford.<\/p>\n
Mr Sandhu was left with a swollen and badly bruised arm.<\/p>\n
Mr Sandhu said that following incident, he was \u201cfeeling fine but a bit shaken and bruised on one side\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the cash dispensers out from the cash machine – they didn\u2019t know I had them as they were after the cash in the post office safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we can\u2019t open that so they attacked me<\/p>\n
It was gut instinct. I thought if I didn\u2019t fight back they would hit me over the with it (the hammer).<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to get behind the counter as that is where the panic button is, but the vibrations [of what happened] set it off anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo they panicked and then saw the money from the cash dispensers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been here 25 years and have had break-ins but nothing like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Sandhu\u2019s daughter-in-law Bobbi said: \u201cMy father-in-law was in the shop by himself and then these three guys came in and attacked him. They wanted money.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s shocking but he was really brave. I\u2019m really proud of him for being so strong during this difficult time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also very grateful for all of the kind wishes and support we\u2019ve had from our loyal customers and local community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve taken to Twitter to spread the word and raise awareness of this disgusting crime so we can catch these terrible people.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far over 1,000 people have seen the story and I hope in due course we\u2019re able to catch these people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warwickshire Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward and Det Sgt Richard Simpkins said: \u201cFortunately, the victim only suffered minor injuries, but he has been left feeling shaken.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shop is on the main road through Welford so someone passing by may have seen the incident or seen the men coming or going from the store.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to appeal for anyone who saw anything suspicious to get in touch with us as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n