Colchester retailer held at knifepoint, forced to empty till

In a horrifying incident, a shopkeeper of a local convenience store in Colchester was held at knifepoint, threatened violently and forced to empty his till by two men in robbery last week. The retailer suffered a minor cut and was left “shocked” after the incident.

According to local reports, the robbery happened at about 7.15pm last Monday (20) and the incident was caught on CCTV. The footage shows a pair of men bursting into St George’s Store in Canterbury Road, Colchester, and getting its owner Jay Kanesalingam in a headlock while armed with a large knife.

One of the men was wearing a black coat, grey tracksuit bottoms and a snood. He repeatedly yelled “be quiet” while ordering Kanesalingam to open the till, Gazette reported.

The second man then shouted “do not move” before the duo load up a black rucksack and flee down Barrington Road. The men left with about £500 worth of tobacco and £100 from the till.

“I was busy with filling the shelves and they were waiting outside. I had no idea they were there,” reports quoted Kanesalingam who added that the incident has “shocked” him.

“I suffered a small cut as he was holding my neck with one hand and the other was holding the knife.”

Essex police stated that inquiries are on in this matter.

“Officers arrived at the scene and carried out a search of the area but no one matching the suspects’ details could be found. Our inquiries are ongoing, including examining CCTV from the shop and the surrounding roads as well as work to isolate any forensic opportunities,” reports quoted Essex police spokesperson as saying.

Colchester councilor Lee Scordis added: “I encourage people with any evidence to submit it to the police.”