Gang robs Glasgow diamond merchant

POLICE are hunting a masked gang who attacked and robbed a major Scots diamond dealer in an upmarket Glasgow suburb.

Tony Tankel was attacked by three men outside a property in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, at 6am yesterday.

The 48-year-old, who imports precious stones from Antwerp in Belgium and Tel Aviv in Israel, was robbed of jewellery worth a substantial amount of money just a few streets from the scene of another diamond robbery 18 months ago.

The male suspects made off in a dark-coloured car being driven by a fourth man.

Detectives were called to Penrith Avenue and closed off access at both ends of the single track road, where homes sell for up to 500,000.

They said the gang had been lying in wait for Tankel, who appears to have often taken jewellery home with him.

Detective Sergeant Phil McLauchlan said: "It is clear that these men have very obviously known that this man had these items in his possession and have targeted him as a result.

"Thankfully the victim only sustained a minor eye injury; however, it could have been must worse. It has been an extremely distressing ordeal for him and his family."

He added that officers are trawling local CCTV and asked anyone who has seen anyone hanging around in the area prior to the robbery to contact police or Crimestoppers.

Tankel, who only suffered a minor eye injury, is a director of Glasgow-based H.W Tankel (Scotland) Ltd, which only deals with trade customers, supplied from its bespoke workshop in Birmingham.

A father-of-two young girls, Tankel is said to be married to a former Scottish Parliament researcher and is a prominent voice in the Jewish community.