Owner Nick Patel’s other store was also robbed recently.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: An employee at a convenience store in Cordele, Georgia, is recovering in the hospital from a gunshot wound he sustained during an armed robbery at his business.
Three robbers, armed with guns and wearing masks to hide their identities, entered the Cordele Food Mart on East 24th Avenue on Monday night. Owner Nick Patel was in the store along with two other employees: a pregnant woman behind the counter, and fellow Indian American Rohit Rahod. The latter was walking around the store when the robbers came in, and was shot by one of them. One robber went for the register, brutally knocking down the pregnant employee on his way to get the money.
He has now been hospitalized for his wounds, while Patel is appealing to local residents and law enforcement to help catch the bandits behind this crime. Speaking with local news affiliate WALB-10, Patel said he fears for his life after seeing what these criminals are capable of.
I used to walk to the store. I used to walk to the house,” he said. “Now I’ll be scared just to go from my store to my car.”
Patel said that’s he’s been a resident of the Cordele area, which is located about two hours south of Atlanta, for nearly 16 years, and has owned the convenience store for more than 10 of those years. He was getting ready to close up shop for the night when the armed robbery occurred, the first instance of crime he said he’s ever faced while operating that particular store.
He has another store, called US Discount, which was also robbed recently, although it is unknown if that crime was perpetrated by the same thieves. Patel, desperate to end the violence and restore order, is offering up a reward to anyone who has any information that will lead to the arrest of the criminals involved with the robberies of his stores.
Local law enforcement are at their wit’s end trying to catch the robbers, and so far have no viable leads. Video of the armed robbery can be viewed below (courtesy of WLAB-10):
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To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com