Farooqi – who suffered a heart attack following an armed robbery last year – and other staff approached the woman who was also holding an infant. She refuses to open her bag, while the other child stands and watches the incident unfold.
Members of the public intervene and try to get the woman to return the stolen items, but as the incident escalates she pushes Farooqi to the ground.
“I had a broken elbow, but I was very lucky, that [the fall] didn’t hurt me a lot.”
Farooqi said he had hoped the change in Government would help improve the situation at his store after the National Party campaigned on reducing crime, but he said the Government’s promises had not come to fruition.
“I think it’s getting worse.
“The Prime Minister, he promised that he will boost the security and the safety of the people. But I think he might have his own priorities or something, or he forgot.”
Farooqi, who has owned the store for 26 years, said he is dedicated to continuing his business, even after he suffered a heart attack following an armed robbery last year.
“I had a heart attack last year when (burglars) had a gun.
“I can’t walk properly, I can’t work properly,” Farooqi said.
Police confirmed they were called at about 5.15pm after a report of a woman taking items from a commercial premises on November 2.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what has occurred, and to locate those involved,” a police spokesperson said.
Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.