A young woman shop assistant, whose hands and feet had been tied up by a masked gang, managed to raise the alarm by knocking the phone off its cradle and dialling 999 with her tongue.
The woman, in her early 20s, had been surprised shortly after midnight yesterday by the four-man gang shortly after she had closed the Texaco Filling Station on the outskirts of Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo.
She was overpowered by the gang, who then stole what has been described as a "substantial amount of money" and a quantity of cigarettes from the filling station shop, on the Ballinlough Road, Ballyhaunis.
Gardaí yesterday praised the young woman for her initiative and pluckiness.
The gang, wearing zipped-up jackets, jeans, tracksuit bottoms and builders' gloves, broke through a rear toilet window and entered the premises shortly after midnight.
They did not speak with local accents, according to gardaí, who are appealing for information.