Shop loses K5,000 in armed robbery, guard wounded

By ROSELYN ELLISON
FOUR armed men took more than K5,000 in cash and items from a supermarket in Kokopo, East New Britain, yesterday morning, police say.
Police arrived at the Dima #19 Supermarket five minutes after the incident.
A spokesman said they would try to arrest the suspects.
Security guard John Tapal on duty at the supermarket said the incident occurred between 9.30am and 10am. He said four armed men entered the shop and held up the employees, the Asian supervisors and customers.
Tapal told The National that he was the first to be confronted by the thugs as he was standing at the door of the shop.
He said he was hit on the back with a knife.
“I saw the men come in a tinted-window vehicle and parked at the parking area,” Topal said.
“ They walked straight into the shop.
“They got us all by surprise,”
“We couldn’t really identify the criminals as they covered their faces.”