Sharjah shopkeepers on alert after string of cash-box snatches

Cashiers in shops in Sharjah are a worried lot after a robbery reported at a supermarket on Friday night.

Sharjah Police is investigating the partially foiled robbery attempt. 

Two or three customers tried to snatch cash from the cashier at the Haram Al Madeena Supermarket near the Clock Tower in Shajah on Friday. The shop does good business on normal days and is very busy during weekends. 

“Two customers who look like Africans came to the supermarket at around 11 pm on Friday. They picked a Seven-Up, approached the cash counter and paid Dh 5. When the cashier opened the cash box to return the balance amount, two of them tried to snatch money from the cash box,” according to Asif Panoor, cashier of the shop. 

Sharjah Police has questioned the employees and examined the closed circuit television images to track down the culprits. 

“One of the robbers engaged the cashier at the counter in a conversation and, after diverting his attention, tried to snatch cash from a box which contained Dh 200 and Dh 500 currency notes,” said the manager of the supermarket.

“They took out the maximum number of notes by force and tried to escape but employees of the supermarket and customers chased them. Some of the looted money was dropped on the road. One of the robbers was almost caught and part of the Dh 10,000 retrieved but they ran in different directions and managed to escape with Dh 4,000,” said an employee. 

Similar robberies have been reported from other shops in Rolla. A convenience store in an industrial area of Sharjah was looted. Daylight robberies have been reporter earlier in Sharjah, especially in the industrial areas. 

“These gangs target busy supermarkets and groceries during rush hours. Now we are very careful about strange customers,” said the manager of the shop.

“We have lost our generator and air conditioner from our company’s premises in Sharjah industrial area. Such crimes are very common here,” said a businessman.

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