Sword attack terror
Reporter: Beatriz Ayala
Date published: 23 February 2009
WALK of terror... Mohammed Sarwar had just left his newsagents in Oldham Road when he was pounced upon
MASKED men armed with a sword stabbed a 56-year-old grandfather three times on a busy Failsworth street.
The pair, wearing ski masks, ran across morning rush-hour traffic on Oldham Road before pouncing on newsagent Mohammed Sarwar in near-by Ridgefield Street.
Mr Sarwar, who owns family business S&A Newsagents, in Oldham Road, was walking to the post office with takings from the shop when the drama unfolded.
The father-of-two was stabbed in the chest and twice in the left arm before the robbers fled with the cash.
His son Mohammed Akhtar (30) has now spoken of his horror at the attack which happened at 9.15am on February 10.
He said: “They saw my father, ran across the road and tried to stab him in the stomach with the sword. Luckily, he blocked it with the cash he was taking to the post office. One man was shouting at him to hand over the money while the other stabbed him in the chest.
“My dad was trying to defend himself but when he felt the sword on his left arm he dropped the money. They grabbed it and ran off.
“He ran back to the store covered in blood. I had to tie my belt round his arm to stem the flow.
“It was only inside the ambulance that we realised his chest injury was also quite deep and needed stitches.
“An inch either way and he could have been killed.”
Mr Sarwar is now recovering at his Manchester home with the help of family and well-wishers.
Mr Akhtar said businesses in Failsworth are being blighted by crime.
He added: “The hairdressers across the road closed down and moved on after being robbed in December and an off-licence was also targeted.
“There is definitely a problem round here and a small minority of people are doing it.
“You hardly see any police on the streets. We haven’t got a regular police officer coming into our shop to speak to us, which I think would help. Criminals know there’s not going to be a policeman on the streets at 9.15am.”
Detectives are now examining CCTV footage. Both men are white, around 6ft tall and dressed in dark clothing. One is said to be of stocky build.
Detective Inspector Chris Bridge, from Oldham CID, said: “This was a violent and totally unprovoked attack.
“Anyone prepared to attack an innocent man with a knife for a few pounds is clearly dangerous and must be caught.”
Inspector David Stopford, from the Failsworth Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Thankfully, incidents such as this are rare in Failsworth.
“I want to reassure the community that my officers are working hard, not only to make Failsworth safe, but to make residents feel safe too.”
Anyone with information should call Oldham CID on 0161- 856 8951 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
