Silent attackers throttle worker

A 31-year-old petrol station worker thought he was going to die when he was grabbed by the throat and thrown to the ground.

The man, who does not want to be named, was working at the Caltex station in Otahuhu on Tuesday night when two men entered the store.

Without saying a word one of the men went to the till while the other punched him in the face, then grabbed him by the throat.

"He grabbed me very tightly and I couldn't breathe," said the man. "At the time I was thinking 'I'm going to die'."

The man said he was then dragged from the shop to the road, where he was thrown to the ground and beaten.

"They started punching me and kicking me in the stomach and the face. It was very scary for me.

"I haven't experienced anything like that in my life. I shouted 'help, help'."

The man said it was only when a car pulled up and a man he believes was called Tony got out to help that his attackers ran off.

The petrol station worker, who is still terrified about what happened, was taken to hospital where he was treated for bruising and cuts.

Yesterday he was at home nursing a black eye and injuries to his jaw, stomach and knees.

After only being employed at the petrol station for two weeks he was reluctant to return at nights unless the front doors were closed to customers.

The store manager, Subhan Ali, said plans were under way to install a night pay window so staff were safer at night.

Police describe the men as Maori or Pacific Islanders of medium to thin build. One wore a dark long-sleeved sweatshirt and dark pants and the other a dark blue jacket with a light trim and dark pants.

Attempts to get money from the till failed, but the men are believed to have escaped with some Vodafone phonecards. Anyone with information about the robbery should contact police on 295 0200.