Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Armed robbery of Waipukurau Subway: 'They were ready to kill anyone for $400'

By Astrid Austin
Hawkes Bay Today·
29 Jul, 2019 07:13 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Kunal Madaan is walked to the till by a hooded man with a long knife. Photo / Supplied

Kunal Madaan is walked to the till by a hooded man with a long knife. Photo / Supplied

Kunal Madaan's life was hanging in the balance - a knife at his throat and the taunting words of two armed offenders ringing in his ears.

An eerily quiet Sunday evening working at Waipukurau Subway had turned into a nightmare for the 19-year-old.

It was just after 8pm and moments away from closing, when the doorbell beeped. Madaan initially thought it was customers.

Two young men, wearing black clothing, and with their faces covered, entered the Central Hawke's Bay store.

One was wielding a knife, the other, a hammer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They shoved me to the ground and they put the knife to my neck. They were telling me 'don't shout, don't say anything'," Madaan said.

His colleague was working in the chiller, and out of sight, leaving the offenders to think Madaan was on his own.

"My main motivation was to protect both my friend and the store. I didn't call my friend to come out because I knew he couldn't do anything," the softly-spoken employee said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They told me to open the safe, but I said 'no, sorry, I don't know the password'. They asked me two-three times, but I kept saying no."

Armed robbers moved a long knife around the Subway employee's neck, telling him where they would cut him. Photo / Google Maps
Armed robbers moved a long knife around the Subway employee's neck, telling him where they would cut him. Photo / Google Maps

They then took him to the till, and forced him to open it.

Discover more

New footpaths for Central Hawke's Bay communities

04 Aug 10:18 PM

"They knew I could," Madaan said.

He said they were trying to "worry him" with their knife - a long butcher's knife - moving the knife around his kneck, and telling him where they were going to cut him.

"It happened very fast."

Once they took the money, about $400, Madaan chased them down Russell St.

"They took all the money and ran away. I chased them 400m but they were too far away from me," he said. His friend came out of the chiller and called the police.

He said the way they were talking to him, makes him think they were under 18.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They were ready to kill anyone for $400."

A police spokesperson confirmed enquiries are underway following a robbery at a franchise restaurant in Waipukarau.

The incident occurred on Herbert Street about 8.15pm on Sunday, July 28, she said.
they were called to the incident at 8.15pm on Sunday.

"Two men wearing black masks entered the restaurant armed with a knife and a hammer and demanded money.

"They left on foot with a small amount of cash," she said.

She said anyone with information about this incident is urged to call their local Police or 105, quoting file number 190729/6004.

Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Napier's only surviving CBD pharmacy raided for third time in 10 weeks - again for perfumes

16 Jun 03:39 AM
Premium
Opinion

Opinion: Don’t fall for the campaigns to ditch Napier's $110m library and civic centre

16 Jun 01:27 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier Pirate and Taradale dominate Maddison Trophy clashes

15 Jun 11:57 PM

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Napier's only surviving CBD pharmacy raided for third time in 10 weeks - again for perfumes

Napier's only surviving CBD pharmacy raided for third time in 10 weeks - again for perfumes

16 Jun 03:39 AM

'I’m wondering if it’s worth carrying on here.'

Premium
Opinion: Don’t fall for the campaigns to ditch Napier's $110m library and civic centre

Opinion: Don’t fall for the campaigns to ditch Napier's $110m library and civic centre

16 Jun 01:27 AM
Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier Pirate and Taradale dominate Maddison Trophy clashes

Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier Pirate and Taradale dominate Maddison Trophy clashes

15 Jun 11:57 PM
Hawke's Bay councils win gongs for cyclone recovery initiatives

Hawke's Bay councils win gongs for cyclone recovery initiatives

15 Jun 10:31 PM
How one volunteer makes people feel seen
sponsored

How one volunteer makes people feel seen

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP