Supermarket targeted twice by robbers

A branch of Tesco Express was robbed twice in three nights in Rochdale.

And officers believe ATM customers could be the key to catching robbers who attacked and tied up a shop worker during the first raid.

Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, 23 August 2011, the member of staff, a 21-year-old man, at Tesco Express, Edenfield Road, locked up for the night when he was grabbed from behind by two offenders and bundled into a nearby car, possibly a dark coloured Ford Focus ST.

He was then taken back to the store and forced to open the shop. They attempted to break into the cigarette compartment at the front of the store and also attempted to force him to open up the back office to gain access to the safe.

They then tied up the victim and left him there while they fled empty-handed. He managed to free himself minutes later before calling the police.

One of the offenders was about 6ft tall with a stocky build, possibly mixed race with a slight Asian accent while the other was white, also about 6ft tall, with an average build, light 'icy' blue eyes and what wearing a dark mask with two eye holes and a dark grey diamond shaped mouth.

The second raid happened at about 9.45pm on Thursday 25 August 2011 when a car pulled up outside the store and three masked men ran inside armed with various weapons - a 'maul' axe, a screwdriver and a black weapon, possibly a handgun.

Two of them climbed over the till and began to steal cigarettes while the third robber forced a 37-year-old female staff member into the back room.

The robbers tried, and failed, to break into the safe before leaving with a quantity of cigarettes.

The first offender is described as 6ft tall, with a medium to bulky build, wearing a black balaclava, grey camouflage jacket or a black leather jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms, leather gloves, dirty white trainers, carrying a 2ft long axe and spoke with a northern accent. A man fitting the same description s believed to have carried out the first robbery.

The two other suspects were white, about 5ft 5in tall, with slim builds and wearing dark clothing, black balaclavas. One carried a handgun while the other had a screwdriver.

Police want to speak to anyone with information about either incident but particularly want to hear from anyone who was using the cash machine at the store at that time of the robberies. It is believed the offenders in the first incident may have been disturbed by them.

Detective Constable Amie Darnell, of Rochdale CID, said: "There is no doubt the victims were put through a dreadful ordeal.

"The people of Rochdale need to know they are safe when they go to work and I can reassure the victims that we are working hard to catch these desperate robbers.

"This is a very busy branch of Tesco at most hours of day and night and I am confident that someone would have been using the cash machine at around the same time of these incidents. In fact I believe the robbers may have left empty-handed in the first incident because they were disturbed by someone.

"If you took cash out at this atm and saw something unusual, but perhaps didn⿿t think much of it at the time, then please give us a call - your phone call could make all the difference."

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4646 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.