This is the moment machete-wielding robbers burst into a convenience store and slashed a shop worker as they smashed open the till during a violent raid.
The attack happened at the Easy To U Mart in Taman Bistari, in Penang, north-western Malaysia, at around 9.30pm on 31 May.
CCTV footage shows two armed raiders entering the store while a third accomplice waits outside near a car.
One robber can be seen brandishing a machete as the other moves behind the counter and grabs the 27-year-old worker’s phone.
The armed raider then forces open the cash register and begins taking money from the till.
But when the shop worker tries to intervene, one of the robbers repeatedly slashes him on the arms and head.
The injured employee can be seen backing away as the attackers continue the raid inside the newly opened store.
One suspect then grabs several packs of cigarettes and the worker’s sling bag before fleeing with his accomplice.
The raiders escaped with cash, cigarettes and the sling bag, with total losses estimated at around RM500, or GBP 84.
Footage from inside the store shows blood dripping from the injured worker after the attackers flee.
A passer-by who sees the wounded employee through the shop’s glass panels then rushes inside to help him.
Police said the worker suffered injuries to his head and both hands.
He was given initial treatment at Sungai Bakap Hospital before being transferred to Sunway Medical Centre Penang.
Officials later said he was in a stable condition.
Seberang Perai Selatan deputy police chief Mohd Norazmi Abd Ghapar said police launched an investigation immediately after receiving a report.
He said investigators had obtained CCTV recordings and carried out forensic examinations at the scene.
Deputy Superintendent Norazmi said initial investigations indicated the suspects may have used a vehicle bearing a foreign registration number.
Images shared online suggested the getaway car may have had a Singapore-registered plate.
Police said the case is being investigated under Section 394 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery.
The offence carries a penalty of up to 20 years in jail, as well as a fine and caning.
Deputy Superintendent Norazmi said: “The police would like to assure the public that we are investigating the matter, and efforts are being made to locate and arrest the suspects.”
Neighbouring traders told local media the convenience store had opened only five days before the robbery.
They also said there had been other recent thefts in the area and that many shop owners had installed CCTV cameras because they were afraid of becoming targets.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact the investigating officer, Inspector Tuan Noremifarhana Tuan Roslan, or the nearest police station.
(Aloysius Fernades/Newsflash)
