Police arrest two over icecream robbery

Police have arrested two youths in connection with the Edendale Dairy robbery. Photo / Supplied

Police investigating a gunpoint robbery at an Auckland dairy arrested two young people last night.

One was a 14-year-old and the other was also a teenager.

Earlier, the police said they were following strong leads as a result of the publication of the offenders' images.

Edendale Dairy in Sandringham Rd was attacked between 8.15am and 8.30am on Saturday when three males, two of them masked, demanded cash and cigarettes.

One of the three waved a gun at shopkeeper Shazia Hussain, before they made off with $400 cash and $500 worth of cigarettes, as well as chocolate bars and icecreams.

Detective Constable Barry McDowell said earlier yesterday that police would make inquiries at specific addresses in their hunt for the robbers.

"I would strongly advise associates of these young men to assist police as much as possible. We don't want to see anyone hurt as a result of Saturday morning's serious incident, or any other incident these boys might be

considering. Anyone who brandishes guns for criminal or nuisance purposes runs a serious risk of being confronted by armed police or members of the public who choose to arm themselves."

Ms Hussain's husband, Tahir Ketan, said his wife had been unable to sleep since the robbery.

"She couldn't sleep last night and the night before. She says, 'When I close my eyes, I see the same thing happening'. She is still in shock."

The couple, who have operated the dairy for three years, have two small children, including a 2-month-old baby, who was asleep in a back room at the time of the robbery.

Mr Ketan, who wasn't present, said the incident, captured on security video, lasted 1 minutes and was like something out of the movies. "They threw a big black bag down and one of the boys stood there with the gun."

Security footage also showed two youths, their faces uncovered, in the dairy about half an hour earlier and Mr Ketan believed they were part of the trio in the robbery.

He said one of his regular customers told him yesterday that he had seen two youths sitting on a fence in the rain outside the dairy and wondered why they weren't sheltering in a nearby bus shelter.

- NZPA