GARDAÍ ARE investigating a robbery in Co Wicklow in which several thousand euro was stolen when an armed gang held up staff at a shop in Tinahely on Saturday night.
One of the raiders was armed with what appeared to be a gun while a second man threatened staff with a knife or similar implement.
Three masked raiders entered the Centra store in the village just before it was about to close at 9pm on Saturday.
Two female staff members were threatened with the knife and gun. The manager of the shop ran outside to a nearby pub to raise the alarm as the robbery was under way. There were no customers in the shop when the raiders struck.
The two female staff members were jostled by the gang members as they were threatened with the weapons. One of the gang made his way to an office in the back of the shop and took money from a safe.
One of the other raiders took trays of cash from the cash registers. The three raiders then ran from the premises and were driven from the scene in a silver BMW saloon which was waiting outside.
Gardaí said it was unclear if a fourth gang member stayed in the vehicle outside but they believe a fourth man was probably involved. There have been no arrests so far.
A Garda source said the women working in the shop were in a very distressed state as a result of the robbery.
One of the raiders held what appeared to be the gun to the back of one of the female staff while one of his accomplices held a knife-type implement to the chest and neck of the second female staff member.
"The men were screaming and shouting at the two girls, 'where is the money?'," said a Garda source.
The same source said when the women were physically grabbed by the men and threatened with the weapons they feared for their lives.
The vehicle used in the robbery has not yet been found by gardaí. There was no official confirmation as to the amount of money taken but sources believed it to be in the region of €2,000.
One member of the gang appeared to speak with a Dublin accent. Two of the men were described as being of medium build and the third man was taller. No further description of the men was available because all three were wearing balaclavas.
The silver BMW saloon getaway car had a roof rack and distinctive orange lights along the side of the vehicle.
Gardaí have issued an appeal to the public for information. Anybody who was in Tinahely just before 9pm on Saturday is asked to contact gardaí.