"Robbery incidents are commonplace at this supermarket in Melbourne’s western suburb of Melton," claims owner Harman Dhillon.
The 34-year-old told SBS Punjabi that his store ‘Foodworks’ has been robbed over a hundred times by unknown assailants over the past two years, many of whom reportedly live in the vicinity.
“Me and my employees, mostly family members have to deal with thugs almost every other day. They barge in and leave with liquor, cigarettes and other expensive items from the store,” Mr Dhillon told SBS Punjabi.
"Sometimes, they come alone, other times in groups of three or four, often they wear masks to cover their faces and many times we have encountered muggers who were carrying knives and other weapons."
Mr Dhillon says he has repeatedly informed the police and has even approached the Member Parliament from his area, but so far no one has come to his rescue.
“I have knocked every door, but nobody cares. We have to deal with the robbers ourselves and sometimes we even get injured while tackling them,” he added.
“The incidents have become increasingly rampant in the past six weeks. I have lost over $100,000 in the past two years due to multiple robberies.”
Mr Dhillon said he is finding it difficult to sustain the business because of the rampant invasions and often lives in fear for his safety and those who work in the supermarket.
According to the data released Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) in 2016, Melton West stood at number 12 in the list of most burgled suburbs in the state of Victoria. According to the list, 1 in 35 homes was robbed the area in the year 2015-2016.
