AT REVOLVER POINT

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 232, 27 June 1932, Page 10

AT REVOLVER POINT

Daring Crime at Newtown MIDNIGHT INTRUDERS Chinese Bound and Gagged £55 TAKEN FROM SAFE Three fully-armed men. surprised some Chinese who were sitting in a room at the rear of their Newtown shop at midnight on Saturday, hit one of them over the head with the butt of a revolver, bound and gagged them, stole £55 in money, and disappeared. Detective-Sergeant Revell and Detective Smith are handling the case. The shop is a fruiterers’ shop and is situated in Riddlfofd Street near the corner of Wilson and Biddiford Streets. It closed late on Saturday nig£t and the Chinese were lingering over their supper-in a room at the back when the intruders appea'red. There'is a right-of-way leading down from Wilson Street behind the shop which serves other premises as 'well, and the men must have known the lay of the land fairly well. It was about midnight when they made an unexpected entrance through the back door. . The front, door was locked and the Chinese were taken by surprise. Armed With Revolvers. Once inside, the criminals came to the point quickly. According to what the Chinese afterward told their, friends, each of the men was armed with a revolver. They parleyed a little and one of the Chinese who showed signs of resisting was hit over the head, apparently with the butt of a revolver and injured. All three were then bound and" gagged and ranged with their backs-against the wall. It seems that the criminals bound them ■with strips of torn-up aprons. The Chinese had to submit to their pockets being searched and their keys taken, after which the robbers went upstairs and emptied the safe of £55 in money.

When this was done they vanished into the night, leaving the Chinese tied up. One of them managed to wriggle free, and he went outside into the street and apparently began to make considerable noise. He attracted the attention of a taxi-driver, and the taxidriver called the police, who were quickly on the scene. The crime was then turned over to .the detective branch for investigation. \