A gang of armed and masked men who got away with €25,000 in cash after holding up staff at a supermarket in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, on Sunday were still being sought by gardaí yesterday.
The six men were armed with sledge hammers, hurleys, hatchets and a crowbar when they raided the Lidl store on the Waterford Road at about 6.40 p.m.
The gang members, who wore balaclavas and gloves, forced staff back into the store as they left after work. There they forced open a safe and stole an estimated €25,000.
Sgt Kevin Bowen of Clonmel station said it is believed the gang was waiting in the car park in a silver coloured car. The raiders made their getaway in this and another vehicle which they hijacked in the Lidl car park.
A woman sitting in this car, an Opel Vectra, was waiting to pick up a member of the Lidl staff when the gang demanded her keys. "She was bundled back into the shop with the staff," Sgt Bowen said.
The Vectra was found abandoned a short distance away in the Silversprings area of the town. This vehicle was being examined yesterday. The silver car has not been seen since.
Sgt Bowen said a small black jeep and two cars were also parked on a footpath opposite the entrance to the store. He appealed for their owners to contact the Garda.
All gang members were 5 ft 9 in to 5 ft 10 in, and one spoke with a Northern accent. Anyone with information should contact Clonmel gardaí at 052-77640 or any Garda station.