| Muhammad Arshad (58), owner of Ali’s Newsagents in Peddie Street, bravely tackled the man and chased him out of the shop — despite being cut during the struggle.
Mr Arshad said it was the fourth time his shop has been targeted by would-be robbers. In June last year, £1000 of goods were stolen from the store during an overnight raid.
The drama unfolded around 10.45am today when a man in his 20s entered the shop and asked for cigarettes.
Mr Arshad said, “I gave him cigarettes and as I turned round I noticed he had twisted his body to look out the door to make sure no-one else was coming in.
“He was the only person in the shop. He asked me for Polos and, as I was going to give him them, he threatened me.
“He had an instrument in his hand which he pulled from his jacket. It wasn’t a sharp tip. It looked more like a chisel. It was metal. Then he said, ‘Open the till and give me everything or I will kill you’. He was very calm and quiet.”
Mr Arshad bravely jumped into action and hit the would-be thief’s hand in an attempt to make him drop his weapon.
He said, “I chopped his hand and he moved back from the counter and then he came at me again to stab me.
“I tried to hold him and that’s when he cut me. It’s just a small cut on my hand. I have a pole behind the counter that I use for protection and I grabbed it and threatened him.
“He started running towards the door and I chased him out of the shop. By the time I went out of the door he was heading along the street. I would have tried to find out where he had gone, but I wanted to get back into the shop quickly to phone the police.”
A spokesperson for Tayside Police said detectives and uniformed officers were carrying out inquiries in Peddie Street and the surrounding area.
A police dog team was sent to the scene, officers have been carrying out door-to-door inquiries and a review of CCTV is under way.
The spokesman issued a description of the suspect. He is a tall, thin white male in his teens to early 20s. He was last seen making off on foot from the store along Abbotsford Place in the direction of Blackness Avenue.
Anyone with information about the incident, or who recognises the would-be robber’s description, should contact the police on Dundee 223200 or speak to any officer. |
