A hero shopkeeper’s quick thinking managed to help stop a thief armed with a 12 inch knife from robbing his store.
The man, who was wielding a knife, demanded £100 in cash to feed his children after barging into Eversley Stores in Malvern, Worcestershire, just after 4pm on February 5.
But when he was told that there was no money in the till, shopkeeper Rakesh Kumar, 47, instead handed him some cupboard essentials.
Mr Kumar gave him a loaf of £3 Warburtons seeded bread, a £3.59 pack of Lurpak butter and four pints of milk worth £2.30.
He grabbed the food – which was worth a total of £8.89 – and fled the scene.
Dad-of-two, Mr Kumar said: ‘He came into the store and the knife was hidden in his trousers.
‘It was a commercial kitchen knife and I think it was about 12 inches long.
‘He put the knife down on the desk and asked me for £100, to which I told him that we do not keep that in the till.
‘He kept on asking me for money from the till and that it was to feed his children, and I kept telling him that there was no money in there.
‘I tried to calm him down and he put the knife back.
‘I told him to take some bread, milk and butter if he needs to, but he has to promise me that he will not go anywhere else afterwards.
‘I said he needed food not money, I said I would provide him the food. He kept asking about the money.
‘I told him to take bread and butter, I said ‘I don’t want your children to go hungry’.
‘Once he left, I was not going to report him, but speaking to people made me realise I should report it because he was carrying a weapon.’
Mr Kumar reported the robbery to police who later arrested a 22-year-old man.
Mr Kumar added: ‘This is not normal. I have been in Malvern a long time and this is not normal for the town.
‘We do not have any problem with shoplifting here. Five or six kids can come into the shop and I do not have to keep an eye on them.
‘The only thing that is scaring me is that this is now happening in Malvern..’
A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: ‘We received a report around 4:10pm of a man with a knife entering Eversley Stores on Worcester Road and demanding money from the till.
‘When it was established that no money was on the premises, the man left the store with grocery items.
‘Officers attended and located the man who was arrested on suspicion of robbery.
‘The 22-year-old has been released on bail.’
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