The wife of a former Auckland dairy owner who was badly bashed earlier this year is begging for an end to attacks on dairies.
Preeti Arora and her husband Jitesh Arora were working in the Crown Superette in Mt Roskill in March when a group stormed in.
Mr Arora was attacked with a baseball bat and was taken to hospital.
Six months and four surgeries later he struggles to walk and his wife says it's unclear if he'll ever have full use of his right hand.
"He gets up in pain and he's not the same as he used to be. Our lives have completely changed. We were a happy, go-lucky couple," says Ms Arora.
They had to sell the business three months ago as Mr Arora could no longer work there and they wanted to "avoid bankruptcy".
"Apart from that, we didn't have the courage to stand in the shop again after what happened," she says.
She says it's taken a huge financial toll and the couple is feeling intense pressure over bills.
As well as physically and financially, the couple has also been mentally impacted by the attack.
Ms Arora is speaking out after the same dairy was once again targeted in a robbery on Monday night.
Four offenders armed with weapons made off with cash, cigarettes, lighters and chocolate.
The employee who was behind the counter told Newshub someone pointed a gun at him, while another person came at him with a hand saw.
"I thought they can shoot the gun any time," he said.
He wasn't injured and police are still hunting for the offenders.
Ms Arora told Newshub she's shocked to hear the dairy they once owned has been targeted again.
"When I hear horrible news again it all comes back and I'm back to where I started."
She has a message for those involved in these types of attacks.
"They're not just robbing the place, they are ruining somebody's life, like they are ruining my life. Please don't do it, there are other ways they can utilise their energy."
Newshub.
