Knife robbery pair filmed for 2nd time in week

A PAIR of knife-wielding thugs have been caught on camera brazenly robbing a store for cigarettes and alcohol – for the second time in a week.

The robbers were captured holding up Premier Stores, in Broomhouse Road, days after a shop only a few minutes down the road was also targeted.

CCTV footage obtained by the Evening News of the latest raid shows the two hoodie-wearing thugs shouting and waving their weapons in the face of the terrified shopkeeper.

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They appear to be the same thieves who carried out the earlier raid, and police are investigating the potential link.

The pair are of a similar build, wear the same types of sports clothes, share the same mannerisms and demand the same goods – all the cash from the till, alcohol and several packets of cigarettes.

And a large knife used by the ringleader in the incidents appears to be the same size and shape.

Unlike the previous robbery, which targeted Sighthill General Store, the thieves did not ask for a plastic bag to put the stolen goods in, but instead produced their own holdall.

The latest hold-up took place on Saturday at around 5.15pm, while the Sighthill incident took place last Tuesday just after 7pm.

Shopkeeper Ramzan Bashir, 39, who was behind the counter on Saturday night, has only owned the shop for eight months and has twice been raided. He described how the “relaxed” robbers in the latest raid had swiped cash and cigarettes before “calmly strolling” out of the store.

He said: “The same thing happened around two months ago, it is frustrating.

“Two guys came in with knives, one got his knife out near the counter and the other was near the sweet display.

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“I’d say the knives were six or seven inches, quite large. They kept demanding the money, ‘Give me the money’. They took £105 in the till and 21 packets of Lambert & Butler.

“They’re maybe the same guys as the shop [in Sighthill] but I don’t know for sure. Last time we were targeted it was people with knives as well.

“Last time, my colleague faced the robbers. It was the first time in my life for me. I pressed the panic button three times and I even had a gold club behind the counter, but I forgot about that.

“They were really calm about the whole thing. They did not rush off after the robbery, they just calmly strolled off towards the bypass.”

The pair are described as being in their early 20s, and of slim to medium build.

One of the men was wearing a white/navy two-tone hooded top and grey tracksuit bottoms.

The second man was wearing a black G-Star hooded top and grey tracksuit bottoms.

It is likely a dark-coloured bag was being carried by one of the suspects immediately after the incident.

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In the previous raid, the thieves were described as white and in their 20s. They spoke with local accents.

A police spokesman said officers were “keeping an open mind” as to whether the incidents were linked.

He said: “Thankfully the victim wasn’t injured. However, he was shaken and we are appealing for any information that can help us identify the suspects. We are particularly keen to speak to a woman who was near the shop when the suspects left the premises. She had dark shoulder-length hair, and was wearing dark clothing and white trainers.”

• Do you know these thieves? Call Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111 or the Evening News newsdesk on 0131-620 8734.

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