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Armed gangsters hit Dar restaurant
2006-02-28 08:40:32
By Guardian Reporter
Five armed gangsters staged a daring raid at a restaurant in Dar es Salaam on Sunday night and made away with unspecified amount of money and other valuables.
Managing director of Anghiti Restaurant situated on Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road in Kinondoni District Dirsinh Pawr confirmed that armed gangsters, who also robbed customers of money and valuables at gunpoint raided his premises.
Pawr said the robbers entered the restaurant disguised as customers.
’They arrived in a saloon car, armed with a machine gun and a pistol. They fired shots in the air and forced everyone to surrender everything. They collected mobile phones, watches and money from our customers before going to the cashier for more money,’ Pawr said.
He said that, after collecting everything they wanted, they drank beer at the counter before they left.
’They stayed for about half an hour after which they strolled out casually,’ he added.
Pawr said he suspects the robbers could be foreigners as they spoke fluent English with an Asian accent.
He said that, among the victims were employees of the British Airways, officials from the Japanese embassy, Asians, World Bank officials and nationals of the Netherlands.
Idd Msuya, a chef at the restaurant, said he escaped the ordeal by locking himself in a toilet when he heard gunshots.
Msuya recalled: ’I ran away and locked myself in the toilet and then started calling the police on my mobile phone, but they did not respond. I then sneaked out and rushed to Oysterbay Police Station to inform them about the robbery, but when we arrived the robbers were long gone.’
Pawr appealed to the police to deal with armed robbery, as the current wave is a threat to tourism and foreign investors.
’I have other Anghiti restaurants in Kenya and Australia, but when it comes to the issues of security I have never experienced anything like this before,’ Pawr concluded.
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