THE same two men are believed responsible for terrorising staff in three night-time supermarket robberies at Cheltenham, Dingley Village and Ferntree Gully, Monday 26 September.
In the first robbery, at 9.15pm, the men armed with a meat cleaver and a machete, and wearing balaclavas and gloves, ran into the Centre Dandenong Rd Woolworths store and confronted three female employees at the cash registers.
They demanded cash from the tills and were handed $1500 before running outside. None of the women, in their 20s and 30s, was hurt. It is not known how many customers were in the store at the time.
Witnesses saw the men driving off in a silver Camry sedan with registration plates UYZ360, which are believed to have been stolen from another car.
Woolworths spokesman Craig Simonetto said there were a small number of customers in the store at the time of the robbery, with staff and customers largely unaffected by the incident.
“We have now increased security measures around the store,” he said. “Security staff are now being employed. I cannot comment on the CCTV matter.”
Police believe the same pair then raided the IGA supermarket in Bernard St, Cheltenham, at 9.37pm.
Offenders carrying the same weapons and with their faces covered, confronted two male staff members in their early 20s and ordered them away from the counter.
They stole cash from the tills as well as another envelope containing cash and a quantity of alcohol.
After throwing a sweets stand into the front car park the men stole the wallet and car keys from a staff member and ordered him to take them to his car in the rear car park. They got into his car but, realising it was a manual, jumped back into the Camry and sped off.
The men are believed to have then raided the IGA supermarket at East Oakleigh at 9.50pm.
Staff members at the supermarkets are being offered counselling.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 28 September 2016
