Sword attack for lunch

Mike Bhatt, Grant Batty, and Sten Kroomenberg were witnesses. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A sword-wielding robber burst into an Indian restaurant and chased the owner through the premises demanding money in front of stunned lunchtime diners.

The masked attacker pursued manager Gurnam Singh across the dining room and kitchen of the Chaska Punjab Da bar and restaurant in Epsom, Auckland.

Patrons watched as Singh ran through the restaurant shouting "we don't have money" while the robber, whose face was hidden by a bandanna and hoodie, ran after him.

Witness Grant Baty, a 32-year-old network engineer, said: "The guy with the turban came running through and he was followed by a guy with a big, shiny knife. I was thinking 'this is weird'. It was like lunch and a show."

Baty said the robber got a shock when he realised diners were still in the restaurant.

"He was panicking. He looked like he wasn't anticipating customers to be there.

"He was saying 'f****** get under the table' so we did. It took me a little while to follow his orders because I still didn't think it was real."

Police praised Singh for leading the robber into the back of the restaurant and preventing him from making off with any takings.

"He was threatening to kill me," Singh said. "He chased me with a small sword. He kept coming after me. It all happened very fast."

The thief then fled empty-handed and jumped into a yellow car, where an accomplice was waiting. The pair sped off down Manukau Rd towards Newmarket and police found the car abandoned a few hundred metres away.

Singh, whose family runs a chain of restaurants, said it was the fifth time in the past year the premises had been targeted. A side office had been broken into twice and this was the third time robbers and burglars had tried to steal from the restaurant.

"It's not a good situation but the police are doing everything they can," Singh said.

Baty said the incident left some of his workmates shaken. "And we still had to pay full price for the meal, which we weren't thrilled about," he said.

Detective Peter Mortimer said it was "brazen in that it was carried out in broad daylight and also at a time when the traffic was quite busy".

The suspect, who was wearing dark clothing, is described as being Maori or Pacific Islander.

* Anyone with information is asked to call Glen Innes police station on (09) 524 1910 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.