Another dairy robbery - tobacco worth $2000 stolen at Waitakere

Waitakere Superette was robbed this morning

A man has stolen $2000 worth of tobacco in the latest Auckland dairy holdup, this time at Waitakere Village in West Auckland.

Waitakere Superette owner Jagdish Patel said a European man aged about 20 walked into the shop at 8am today, took milk and water from the fridge and placed them on the counter as if he was a customer.

"Then he asked for tobacco," Patel said.

"I said, 'Which one do you want?' He said, 'I want the whole lot.' He put a black bag on the counter and said, 'Can you put all the tobacco in the bag.'

"He put one hand under his jacket and I was thinking there might be a weapon, so I moved around behind the counter, and he put the tobacco in his bag and ran out."

He had a vehicle "half-way up the road" so Patel could not see the licence plate.

Patel was alone in the shop at the time and was not injured, but he said the man took tobacco worth about $2000. The shop was insured.

Police are now taking fingerprints at the shop and trying to track down the offender.

"It was scary, of course," Patel said.

He said he was not sure whether the man was armed.

The shop was robbed about six years ago at night, but this was the first time it had been robbed during opening hours.