A PLUCKY shopkeeper was back behind his counter yesterday, less than 24 hours after he was beaten up by a pair of ruthless robbers.

Mohammed Riaz, 58, told how he was now concerned for his safety but insisted he had a business to run.

Mr Riaz was alone in his butcher’s and convenience store, Meat Hut, in Little Horton Lane, Bradford, at around 2.20pm on Sunday, when three men burst in. Two, who he described as Jamaican, approached the counter and asked how he was, while the third, a white man, stayed guarding the door.

Mr Riaz told how the two men jumped over the counter and began punching him in the head.

He said: “They were swearing and demanding money. They punched me in the mouth and knocked me to the floor. I got up, but they knocked me down again and started punching and kicking me while I was on the floor.

“There was blood gushing from my mouth and head. I was calling out for help but there was nobody in the shop.”

The robbers fled after three or four minutes, stealing around £3,000 in cash, and giving Mr Riaz one last kick before leaving.

He was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where he was X-rayed. He was told he may have a broken jaw, which could need a metal plate inserted, but will have to wait for the swelling to go down before the extent of his injuries can be established. He also suffered bad bruising to his face, sore ribs and back, and five of his teeth were loosened.

He said: “I have to return to hospital in a week’s time and they have said I may need a metal plate, or braces for my teeth.

“They were hitting me so hard I was seeing stars and I blacked out. I had no chance against them.”

Mr Riaz said what made it worse was he recognised his attackers and believed they were regular customers.

“I am shocked that they have used my shop for years and called me ‘uncle’.

“It is at the back of my mind that they may come back. I am concerned and I am going to have to get extra security, like CCTV cameras.

“But it has not put me off. I have a business to run and I am going to keep on working.”

Friends and family of Mr Riaz said the loss of the money had ruined Eid for him and his family.

His nephew, Gulnawaz Hussain, said the whole family was distressed by the attack.

“He wouldn’t say ‘boo’ to anybody,” said Mr Hussain. “He was shocked and in pain, but he was determined to be in the shop today. We told him to have a day off, but he wouldn’t. He has worked seven days a week for years. He had a lot of meat to get ready for Eid and he wasn’t going to let anybody down.”

Mr Hussain said the suspects had been seen lurking near to the shop for 30 to 40 minutes before the robbery took place. He said CCTV of the suspects had been passed to police by a neighbouring business.

A Bradford Police spokesman said they were speaking to the victim through a Punjabi interpreter. They were seeking three suspects, two black men and a white man, who were believed to have fled on foot down Canterbury Avenue. One of the black men wore a black hooded top, while the white suspect was wearing a blue top.

The spokesman said the victim’s injuries were not as bad as had first been thought.

Anyone with information should contact Bradford CID via 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.