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Raid victim relives moment gun was fired at his head

Emma Scott
13/ 7/2006

A HAVE-A-GO hero has told of the terrifying moment that a raider put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Asgar Iqbal, aged 33, was visiting a friend at the Egerton Road Post Office in Chorlton when a number of masked men walked in.

He became involved in a scuffle with one of the men, who aimed the gun at him and fired twice.

Luckily for Mr Iqbal, the bullets were blanks. Police officers who happened to be passing the scene arrived in seconds but the men escaped.

Mr Iqbal, who lives in Chorlton, said he had been enjoying an ice cream while he waited for postmaster Ali Abbas when the incident happened.

He added: "The gun went off but I didn't realise what was happening to me. It was only afterwards that it dawned on me that I might have been killed.

"I had just grabbed the first guy nearest to me who happened to have the gun. It wasn't until I saw the actual bullet casings that I started reflecting on what I'd done.

"I wasn't actually thinking and did everything on instinct. I was just angry more than anything. I was more scared after the event when I thought about what happened but not during it."

A number of lottery scratchcards and cigarettes were taken in the raid which occurred on Wednesday, June 28 at around 7pm.

The post office was closed at the time but a general store in the building was open.

Mr Abbas said: "I heard the shots from upstairs. My heart sank because I thought my friend was dead.

"Within second we realised they were blanks because he was still standing. He wouldn't admit it but he was very scared."