A SILVER Nissan Navarra dual-cab ute is the common link between five armed robberies in Dandenong South, Braeside, Carrum Downs, Frankston and Baxter over the past fortnight.
The male driver of the stolen vehicle, with false plates ZVA874, has threatened staff – many of them female – with knives and tyre levers in the vicious raids before running off with cash and cigarettes.
Victims describe him as 167cm, thin build, wearing a black balaclava, plain black hoodie and light coloured jeans in all the burglaries.
Several of his lightening raids are in the early morning; others late in the day.
At 11am, Saturday 10 June, a man with a black mask over his mouth and nose and wearing a hoodie, parked behind a cafe in Abbotts Rd, Dandenong South, and entered through the staff entrance carrying a knife and a hammer.
He threatened two staff members as well as an electrician doing work there and ordered them to hand over cash from the till. They did but he kept asking where the $50 notes were and forced them to lift up the till drawer so he could check underneath.
The man took the cash and $5000 in cigarettes out to the car, dropping a till drawer outside the back door, before speeding east towards the South Gippsland Highway.
At 5.20am, Wednesday 14 June, the man entered a snack bar on Industrial Drive, Braeside, brandishing a knife and a tyre lever. He ordered a female attendant, 66, to hand over cash and threatened other staff with the knife.
When they opened the till he grabbed the tray and tried unsuccessfully to kick open the ATM before running to the ute with the till tray and driving away.
At 9am, Sunday 18 June, the man armed with a knife and a crowbar raided a fishing shop in Lathams Rd, Carrum Downs, as they were opening up for the day.
After demanding cash from the two male staff members, aged 18 and 21, he waved the knife and ripped out the till, throwing it on the floor, before stealing a small amount of cash. He also smashed open a glass display cabinet and stole two $800 game fishing reels.
At 5.45pm, Monday 19 June, the man entered the NQR supermarket in Beach St, Frankston, carrying a jemmy bar and demanded the 17-year-old female attendant hand over cash. When she refused the man removed the whole till and ripped the plug from the socket.
He then crossed the car park and drove off in the Nissan.
At 6.41pm, Tuesday 20 June, the man parked the ute in the disabled parking bay outside the front door of the Woolworths store in Baxter.
He entered the supermarket carrying a long-bladed knife and a duffle bag and fronted the express check-out nearest the door.
The man ordered a staffer to open the cash drawer, which he removed, and then moved to an adjacent register and pulled the cash drawer from that register. He drove off in the Nissan along Baxter-Tooradin Rd.
Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Sergeant Al Hanson, Frankston Embona Armed Robbery Taskforce, 9784 5555.
