South Auckland Caltex Station Robbed of $20K Worth of Products

A Caltex station owner in South Auckland is reeling after a brazen robbery that saw his store ransacked by up to nine thieves, who allegedly made off with over $20,000 worth of products. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Caltex on Weymouth Road, Manurewa.

The owner, who preferred to be identified only as Howlader, described the harrowing ordeal. "They smashed all the glass and they came inside," he said. "One of my employees was inside, and he was so scared of them...he ran outside and tried to push the fog cannon and the alarm, but it was not working."

The employee managed to escape into the back office and lock himself in to "save himself."

The thieves reportedly stole around $20,000 worth of products, including cigarettes, batteries, chargers, and two cash registers. Howlader expressed relief that no one was physically harmed but expressed deep concern for his employee's well-being. "The money’s gone, but if my worker was gone, that would really traumatize me," he said.

CCTV footage of the incident shows the thieves wearing hoodies and balaclavas, climbing through the shattered window with a large blue bag, leaving a trail of smashed glass behind them.

The robbery was reported to the police at 2:05 am, with police arriving on the scene shortly after. A police spokesperson stated, "Multiple offenders arrived at the store and smashed a glass window to gain entry to the premises. We understand this would have been a distressing incident for the member of staff, and we are working hard to hold those responsible to account."

Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident. Police are urging anyone with information to assist the investigation by contacting 105 and quoting the file number 240310/9889. Information can also be reported anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

This robbery comes amidst a recent spate of similar incidents in the Auckland region, prompting police to step up patrols of petrol stations. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin noted that there had been five incidents across the city since Sunday, including two aggravated robberies in Western Springs and Green Bay, and burglaries in Papatoetoe, Glen Eden, and Remuera. The patrols are particularly focused on petrol stations that operate 24 hours a day.