Raid ordeal as Dudley family is held captive by robbers

A jewellery shop owner was attacked and kidnapped from his home by a gang of robbers who forced him to open his Black Country shop while his family were held captive in their home.

Five men broke into the 41-year-old's house in Dudley where they attacked him with a hammer and tied up his wife and four children.

Two of the robbers stayed at his home while the other three took him to his shop, Rofia Jewellers, on Wellington Road in a white Ford Connect van where they made him open up.

However, once inside the shopkeeper managed to raise the alarm and alert the police by pressing a panic button installed in the building which is said to have filled the building with smoke.

Neighbours say he also managed to smash a window of the robber's vehicle with a stick he had in the shop.

The drama panicked the three robbers who left the store. Police say they took the victim back to his home where they retrieved the other two men.

A short police chase then took place before the van was lost.

Nothing was stolen from the store during the raid, which happened at about 9.30pm on Friday, but a "significant" amount of cash and jewellery was taken from the man's home address, the location of which police have not revealed.

The shop owner required hospital treatment for injuries to his foot while his family were uninjured. Sital Sandhar who runs Sandhars supermarket over the road from the shop said: "He is very brave, we are just relieved he is fine, it is an awful thing to happen."

Mohammed Saghir, who runs AK Halal Meat Centre next door to the jewellers added: "Someone rang me at about 10pm to say they had seen a police car, I came down and saw my shop was okay so I went back home again."

Other neighbours described hearing shouting at the time of the raid.

Police are appealing for anyone with information on what happened to get in touch. All five robbers are described as white men and officers say they are keen to hear from anyone who saw the five men or their white Ford Connect van, which was on stolen number plates.

Anyone with any information about the robbery is asked to call CID at Bloxwich on 0345 113 500.