Onehunga dairy owner 'thought she was going to die' as armed robbers break into store

A dairy owner thought she was going to die when four robbers ran into her superette, trashing the store and chasing her with a weapon.

Four thieves with their faces covered - and one armed with a crowbar - burst into the Arthur St Superette in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga around 8.30am on Wednesday.

Two jumped over the counter, stealing the till and cigarettes, while the others smashed up the shop and threatened owner Khatijia Chhiboo.

Speaking on behalf of his mother, Muneer Chhiboo told the Herald she was so frightened she thought she would be killed.

His mother was restocking the store's pie warmer when she heard the buzzer go off at the door. Thinking it was a customer she walked towards them.

"She finished picking up the pies and turned around to see a guy with a crowbar just standing in front of her banging on the lolly aisle really loudly and shouting," he said.

"She got frightened and thought she was going to die because of all the things that have been recently happening."

CCTV footage shows Khatijia being chased out of the store. The robbers are then seen pulling the cash drawer out of the register and stealing the money, while another loads a rubbish bin with cigarette packets.

"She was not hurt but was traumatised," Muneer Chhiboo said. "She went to our neighbours shouting 'help help', one started ringing 111 and another came towards the store to have a look. When he got there they were all leaving."

This was not the first time the store had been robbed, Chhiboo said. His parents had owned the dairy for the past 21 years, but had been targeted by robbers in the last five.

"They had one happen two years ago that was really bad. Our friend was working in the shop and he was hurt badly as well.

Chhiboo's father Harun is constantly on alert, he said.

"He's scared now. When he's in the shop he is constantly walking and after 6pm he is constantly looking around outside and making sure that everything looks normal," Chhiboo said.

The family said the response they've received from the community since the robbery was heart-warming, with people calling the police and coming to the store to make sure they were okay.

They wanted to tell their story and release the CCTV footage in a bid to catch the robers. They urged anyone with information or who recognised the men to contact police.

The dairy is also offering a $500 reward for anyone who knows the whereabouts or idenities of the offenders.

Police confirmed to the Herald they were investigating the robbery. No one has yet been caught in relation to it.

The Chhiboo family are the latest in a string of violent attacks and robberies on dairy owners, and joined others in calling for the Government to do something about it.

On Monday, a dairy owner was beaten while he was closing his store in a horrific attack.