Casino patron abducted at gunpoint from carpark

The underground car park at Sky City where a man was forced into his car. Picture / Janna Dixon

Two gunmen kidnapped a SkyCity casino patron yesterday and subjected him to a terrifying two-hour robbery ordeal.

The abduction has again sparked fears that opportunistic criminals are laying in wait, deliberately targeting gamblers for their winnings as they leave the casino gaming floor.

Yesterday's drama unfolded shortly after 9.30am when a Chinese student was abducted from the casino carpark by two men brandishing a firearm. He was forced into his own vehicle and then driven around South Auckland.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was dumped uninjured in Mt Roskill after he had been forced to withdraw $700 from an ATM machine.

The two men then made a getaway in the student's car, while he made his way to the Mt Albert Pak'n Save and rang police.

Police yesterday arrested a Polynesian man in his 30s in connection with the kidnapping, police said today a second man was helping them with inquiries, but no further arrests had been made.

Police were still hunting the weapon used in the kidnapping and two men in a white or silver jeep who had trailed the offenders during the kidnap.

The student had been left "absolutely petrified" by the morning's events, said Detective Sergeant Joe Aumua of the Avondale police.

This is not the first time there have been concerns over the safety of SkyCity patrons. Late last year a man sexually violated a young woman in the casino carpark after shadowing her from the ground floor casino cafe.

There have also been cases in the past where patrons have been robbed of thousands of dollars while in the casino carpark.

In a statement released yesterday SkyCity said it had a strong working relationship with local emergency services and the police.

"We are confident that any concern they [police] might have for our business or customers would be communicated to us immediately, and we would act immediately to work with them to address any risk."

The statement continued: "We have around 12,500 people through our premises on any given day. The safety and security of our staff and customers is a priority and underpins all our operations."

However, a SkyCity employee who asked not be identified agreed the casino - which boasts Auckland's largest carpark and attracts thousands of punters every day - had security issues that needed to be addressed, pointing to long-held concerns about people laying in wait for punters as they left the gaming floor.

She said that with annual profits of more than $100 million, the casino had an obligation to ensure all patrons were safe.

National MP Pansy Wong also spoke yesterday about concerns over security at SkyCity.

"The casino needs to be more vigilant about ensuring the safety of patrons. The casino attracts a lot of high-rollers, many of whom are Asian who come here because they hear New Zealand is something of a paradise," she said.

"That means they usually let their guard down, which makes them easy targets. A message needs to be sent to these undesirable elements."

Mr Aumua also warned casino patrons to be careful when making their way to their vehicles, urging "safety in numbers".

He was not aware of any other recent reported abductions from the casino, and said although the promise of punters with cash made the carpark a good target for criminals, because of the number of security cameras in the building there was a strong likelihood any offender would be caught.

He said investigations into the case would continue today.

Police had located the robbery victim's car at a South Auckland address and were interviewing another man who Mr Aumua described as being "a good suspect".