Machete-wielding dairy robber chops off worker’s fingers

A Hamilton dairy worker had two fingers cut off in a violent robbery this morning.

Irvine St Dairy owner Puneet Singh said four males entered the dairy around 7:20am when his worker had just opened the shop, one carrying a machete.

Singh said his worker tried to run to the back room but one of the men chased and attacked him with the machete.

“The machete hit my worker’s hand and his fingers fell down on the floor, two of the fingers,” he said.

Singh estimated the men stole between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of tobacco products.

Singh said his worker called him after the robbers left, and he arrived at the shop before his worker was taken to Waikato Hospital.

“When I came he was passing out and fainted, the ambulance was there and they put him on a stretcher and took him to hospital,” Singh said.

Singh said he was concerned and saddened by the assault on his worker.

“His wife is pregnant, he is father-to-be in two to three months. She is traumatised, she came to the site as well in the morning. It’s a very bad time for all of us,” he said.

Singh said he felt very unsafe at the moment and the government was not doing enough to stop attacks on stores.

“Today my worker could’ve lost his life. The government should take it seriously. If you don’t look after the people then there’s no point. And it’s not only my shop, it’s happening everywhere.”

In a statement, police said officers and an ambulance responded to a report at a property on Irvine Street, Frankton at around 7:30am, and one person was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The police said they were following lines of inquiry to locate the offenders and hold them to account.