Tamworth PO owner threatened with knife and lighter

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Tamworth post office owner threatened with knife and lighter fluid in terrifying armed robbery

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A TAMWORTH post office owner has described the moment a man brandished a knife at him and threatened to “burn the shop down” as “terrifying”.

Suki Singh, who co-owns the Best-One Store, also known as the Silver Link Road Post Office, was threatened with a large can of lighter fluid during the attempted armed robbery by two men.

Suki, who runs the store with his two brothers Balbinder and Narinder, has spoken to the Herald of his “utter shock” following the incident.

“One of them pulled out a can of lighter fluid and said ‘I’ll burn you, I’ll burn your shop down’,” said 42-year-old Suki.

“They squirt that at you and you’re up in flames, that stuff is lethal!

“I told them to leave the shop and started to walk around when one of them got the knife out, started waving it around and said ‘I’ll kill you, you c***.

“It was terrifying.”

The shocking incident happened at the shop in Glascote Heath just before 7am this morning (July 14).

Suki said he had opened the shop and post office as usual at 6am and the paper boys had just left the shop with their deliveries when two men came in wanting to buy beer.

After picking up bottles of Desperados, Suki said the men, who have not been identified by police, began arguing amongst themselves about not having enough money.

“They said they didn’t have any money so I said ‘put them back then’ but they said ‘we’ll sort you out another time,” said Suki.

It was at this point during the altercation that CCTV footage captured of the incident shows one of the offenders pulling out a can of lighter fluid before producing what appears to be a knife from the back pocket of his jeans and waving it around.

“I was shocked. When he pulled the knife out I just froze and walked back behind the counter again. It was terrifying," he said.

Marc Elwell, who’s company ISecurity installed the shop’s CCTV footage, was helping out in the store when the incident broke out.

“One of them was very quiet and shy and the other was clearly drunk and was boisterous. One of them was clearly worried about what was happening when the other pulled out a knife," said Marc.

“I don’t think he expected him to do that.”

Tamworth police confirmed that two men have been taken into custody and are helping police with their inquiries.

Sergeant Rich Gorman of Tamworth Police said: "Two males have been in to the shop and taken something.

"When the owner asked for money for the items the men pulled a knife on him.

"Two people are now in custody helping police with their inquiries."

The shop was cordoned off by officers for around three hours following the incident.

Suki said him and his family have been touched by the amount of customers who have telephoned and called in to check that everyone is okay.

"We are proud to be a local shop and a community shop, we know everybody around us and have brilliant customers," he said.

"“We have had the odd idiot playing up in here before and you can deal with that but this was serious.”