The Irvine St Dairy worker was attacked by four men, one of whom was wielding a machete, as the robbers stole cigarettes and tobacco yesterday morning.
The man lost two fingers in the violent attack. But the dairy’s owner, Puneet Singh, said things could have been much worse.
“He begged for him like, ‘Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.’ He said over and over.”
Singh said his worker told him that the robber aimed at his head with the machete and when he raised his hands to defend himself, they were then cut off.
Singh said his employee’s fingers have been reattached, but it was unclear whether full function will return.
The man was also deeply traumatized, he said.
Singh estimated that the men stole between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of tobacco products yesterday.
He said he felt very unsafe at the moment and that the government was not doing enough to stop attacks on shops.
“My worker could have lost his life. The government should take it seriously. If you don’t take care of the people, it’s no use.
“And it’s not just my shop, it’s happening everywhere.”
In a statement, police said officers and an ambulance responded to a call at a property in Irvine St, Frankton at around 7:30am and one person was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Police said they were following lines of inquiry to locate and hold the perpetrators accountable.