Robber with water pistol tries hold-up

A robber who tried to hold up a Tauranga supermarket failed to intimidate the store owner with his water pistol and left penniless.

The man entered the Matua Foodmarket on Tilby Drive, Tauranga, about midday and demanded money from store owner Kamal Kaur.

"He pulled something out of his pocket, I could see it was not a real gun, it was a water gun," she told NZPA.

He continued to tell her to give him money but when she called for her husband, who was in a back room, he fled.

"I wasn't frightened... he was very unprofessional," she said.

Police said it was likely the man was hanging around near the shop before the robbery and appealed for anyone who was in the area who may have seen him to contact them.

He is described as about 20 years old, possibly Maori, about 165cm tall. He was wearing a dark, possibly navy blue, hoodie and dark pants.

- NZPA