KUALA LUMPUR: The craving for tobacco must have been too strong for two men who went to the extent of robbing a convenience store in Taman Seputeh yesterday and made off with 58 cartons of cigarettes.

The incident took place at 3.35am when there were no customers at the outlet. Brickfields district
deputy police chief Superintendent Azri Abd Rahman said the suspects went in on the pretext of being customers.

“They walked up to the counter before one of them threatened the cashier with a parang."

Instead of the cash register, the duo went for the cigarette cartons stacked behind the counter.

“They took the cartons and fled,” said Azri, adding that the suspects most likely escaped on a motorcycle.

A police report was lodged by the shop manager at 5.20pm at the Brickfields district police headquarters.

The case is being investigated under Section 395 of Penal Code for gang robbery.