Hero shopkeeper offers food instead of cash during robbery at Worcestershire store

A hero shopkeeper’s quick thinking managed to help stop a thief armed with a 12 inch knife from robbing his store.

The brazen criminal barged into Eversley Stores in Malvern, Worcestershire, just after 4pm last Wednesday wielding the blade and demanded £100 in cash saying he needed money to feed his children.

But when he was told that there was no cash in the till for him to rob Rakesh Kumar, 47, instead handed him some cupboard essentials.

Mr Kumar handed the crook a loaf of £3 Warburtons seeded bread, a £3.59 pack of Lurpak butter and four pints of milk worth £2.30.

The thief grabbed the food – which was worth a total of £8.89 – and fled the scene.

Father-of-two, Mr Kumar said: ‘He came into the store and the knife was hidden in his trousers.

‘It was a commercial kitchen knife and I think it was about 12 inches long.

‘He put the knife down on the desk and asked me for £100, to which I told him that we do not keep that in the till.

Rakesh Kumar, 47, confronted a robber armed with a foot-long kitchen knife and instead of money offered him bread, milk and butter.(Picture: Rakesh Kumar / SWNS)

CCTV footage caught the thief as he walks into the store with the huge knife (Picture: SWNS)

In the footage he can be seen demanding cash from the shopkeeper (Picture: SWNS)

‘He kept on asking me for money from the till and that it was to feed his

children, and I kept telling him that there was no money in there.

‘I tried to calm him down and he put the knife back.

‘I told him to take some bread, milk and butter if he needs to, but he has to promise me that he will not go anywhere else afterwards.

‘I said he needed food not money, I said I would provide him the food. He kept asking about the money.

‘I told him to take bread and butter, I said ‘I don’t want your children to go hungry’.

‘Once he left, I was not going to report him, but speaking to people made me realise I should report it because he was carrying a weapon.’

Mr Kumar reported the robbery to police who later arrested a 22-year-old man.

Mr Kumar handed the robber milk, bread and butter to stop him from taking cash from the teill(Picture: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

Eversley Stores in Worcestershire where the robbery happened.(Picture: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

Mr Kumar added: ‘This is not normal. I have been in Malvern a long time and this is not normal for the town.

‘We do not have any problem with shoplifting here. Five or six kids can come into the shop and I do not have to keep an eye on them.

‘The only thing that is scaring me is that this is now happening in Malvern..’

A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: ‘We received a report around 4:10pm of a man with a knife entering Eversley Stores on Worcester Road and demanding money from the till.

‘When it was established that no money was on the premises, the man left the store with grocery items.

‘Officers attended and located the man who was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

‘The 22-year-old has been released on bail.’

Grace Cooper