Anyone who saw any suspicious activity between 9pm and 11pm on Tuesday should contact the Glen Innes police on (09) 524-1910.
A man was marched to an ATM and forced to withdraw hundreds of dollars by a group of thugs who had bashed his uncle outside their family business.
And police say the offenders may have followed the man as he got off the train after work. Police were called to a Chinese medical clinic on Mayfair Place, Glen Innes, just after 10pm on Tuesday.
The 49-year-old owner was closing up for the day with his nephew when three men approached them, Detective Sergeant James Robson said.
They attacked the owner, punching and kicking him in the face and inflicting facial injuries, including a suspected broken jaw.
The nephew, in his 20s, was then forced to walk with the men to two nearby cash machines to withdraw money.
"He was led through the shopping centre to several ATMs and essentially encouraged to withdraw an amount - hundreds, but not to the limit," said Mr Robson. "There was no mention of a firearm or a weapon."
Once the thugs had the cash in hand, they assaulted the nephew, leaving him with facial injuries that were not serious. Both men were taken to hospital. The clinic owner was discharged yesterday afternoon.
Mr Robson said police were yet to finish interviewing them and taking their statement. But the victims had been able to provide a basic description of the attackers.
"It's quite a generic description. They were all males in their early 20s and either Maori or Pacific Islanders."
Mr Robson said it was too early to say whether the men had planned the attack.
"I guess it could have been an opportunistic thing. They've potentially seen the young fellow get off the train as he was returning from work."
He said police would review CCTV footage from the area in their hunt for the offenders.
Mr Robson said the incident was a one-off.
