Shopkeeper tells of terror as masked robber slashed at him with huge knife

 
Raid terror: shopkeeper Ibrahim Khan, 27 had a huge knife held to his throat Picture: Nigel Howard
Ben Morgan26 February 2015

A shopkeeper told today of the terrifying moment he was slashed by a masked knifeman who snatched hundreds of pounds from the till.

Police are hunting the robber who lunged at Ibrahim Khan, 27, jabbing a 10-inch butcher’s knife at his face as he screamed: “Give me all your money.”

Mr Khan was slashed on the hand in the raid on Kostless in Balham High Road, which was captured on CCTV.

He said: “I was working the late shift and my colleague was on his break so I was alone at the counter. A man walked in and pulled out a really big knife. He came to the counter and said, ‘Give me all your money,’ and was slashing at the air with the knife. It was inches away from me.

“He brought the knife closer and caught me on the hand. He was trying to scare me to open the till, which I did. He grabbed all the money, which was nearly £600, then he ran out of the shop.”

Knifepoint robbery: CCTV images have been released by police

Mr Khan, who has worked at the 24-hour supermarket for five months, added: “He would have stabbed me if I didn’t open the till for him. He was serious. I didn’t fight him. I didn’t want to risk my life like that because it was a seriously big knife.

“The whole thing lasted less than two minutes. I only saw his eyes because the rest of his face was covered with a scarf. I saw his green eyes.

“Afterwards I was very shaken up and was thinking about the attack all the time. I was nervous for the first few days. I’m much better now but I don’t like working late at night any more.”

Police appealed for witnesses after issuing the CCTV footage of the crime at about 1.45am last Wednesday.

The robber was a black man in his twenties, about 5ft 10ins tall, in a dark blue Adidas hooded jacket and dark trousers, with a grey scarf over his face. He carried a black Nike rucksack with a white “Just Do It” logo.

Detective Constable Lois Farmer of Wandsworth CID said: “Fortunately the victim was not seriously injured. However, the robbery was a terrifying experience for him.

“The suspect used a significant level of violence and on several occasions is seen to lunge the knife towards the victim’s neck. We need help to identify him to bring him to justice as soon as possible.”

Witnesses can call police on 020 3276 2604, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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