Gun robbers may have struck raid firm twice

Khawaja Mohammed Ali, 33, escaped injury when a sawn-off shotgun was fired through a door just inches away from him.

He was inside Chacha Jewellers in Great Horton Road, Bradford, with an employee when a stolen Toyota Hiace was reversed into the store and four masked men with a gun and hammer jumped out on Tuesday morning.

More than 100,000 in jewellery is thought to have been taken, although a half-filled green laundry bag was left behind.

The robbery came less than two months after a gang reversed a stolen vehicle into his brother's shop, Shaandar Zewar jewellers, in the Barkerend area of the city.

Mr Ali said he ran to a panic button to activate an alarm and smoke screen and pointed a fire extinguisher into the shop as a raider smashed the counter.

Both he and his employee were behind a door at the back of the shop when he heard two shots.

One went through the door just inches away from him. The other was fired at a clock.

Mr Ali said: "It was terrifying. I didn't see the hole in the door at the time. It was only after."

Police said it was possible another man was outside the store. The gang fled in a stolen blue Audi A3 with false registration plates, G12 FTA, found burnt out in the Daisy Hill area.

Detective Inspector Ian Bryar said: "This was a well planned robbery but the execution was not that professional and the robbers seemed to panic. We're obviously looking at whether this robbery is connected to the one in Maidstone Street earlier this year as there are striking similarities between them.

"We are very fortunate this morning that we are talking about a robbery and not anything worse."